A $106,000 donation from Aurora’s Colorado Community Church put the group over its $200,000 fundraising goal. With the money, the foundation will start the selection process for an artist who will design the memorial.
“The public art process is going to take some time, so any money raised beyond that initial milestone will go toward funding the final product, which includes artwork, benches and other decorative elements, and will simply enable them to do more than initially thought,” said 7/20 Memorial Foundation member Heather Dearman.
The , but the amount has been adjusted.
Now, “in a single month, a generous local congregation moved the 7/20 Memorial Foundation miles ahead,” a news release from the foundation stated. The total the foundation has raised was last reported at $220,000.The idea is for the permanent memorial to enhance the Reflection Memorial Garden in Aurora. The city of Aurora is installing the walkways and garden itself within Aurora Water’s Xeriscape Demonstration Garden at 15151 E. Alameda Pkwy.
Earlier this year, just before the anniversary of the shooting, the .
The other major donations that helped the foundation complete the goal were from the Havana Business Improvement District, which donated more than $40,000; the Highpoint Church Aurora, which donated $10,000; and from a recent class of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Aurora, which donated $10,000.
“We are so grateful to every individual that helped to make this moment possible, and we look forward to moving toward our next step in this journey,” Dearman said in a released statement.
