LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The efforts to bring the One October memorial to fruition are well underway as work continues to meet fundraising goals.
The groundbreaking is set for mid-2026, according to the Vegas Strong Fund, the entity assigned by the Clark County Commission to carry out the completion of the Forever One Memorial.
The project hopes to open by October 1, 2027 — the tenth anniversary of the tragedy.
“This project, this memorial, is meant to be a permanent structure where we can go and pay tribute to the 58 lives that we lost, but it’s so much bigger than that. It’s the ability to go and be thankful for the first responders that were there that night– not just fire and police, but our EMS, our doctors, our nurses. It’s a place where we can go and give thanks for how resilient this city is,” said Kelly McMahill, treasurer of the Vegas Strong Fund.
McMahill, the wife of the sheriff of LVMPD, then served as captain and responded to the tragedy on October 1, 2017 at the Route 91 festival.
The entire cost of the memorial is $41.5 million, according to McMahill; the project needs a $3 million endowment. Partners were able to lower the cost of the project down from about $70 million, according to Jan Jones Blackhurst, former Las Vegas Mayor and now chair of the Vegas Strong Fund.
Donation pledges have met more than 20% of the total cost so far, Jones Blackhurst tells FOX5.
The VGK Foundation donated $1 million to the cause.
“So we have a long way to go, and we’re looking at lots of possibilities, but I will say that it would be wonderful if other sports teams, if local philanthropists could find it in their hearts to be part of this project because it’s going to be special. It’s going to be such an incredible representation of what our city’s become, which is a community with a real heart,” McMahill said.
“Not everybody out there has a million dollars to donate. Everyday people like you and I can donate to what we just started,” McMahill said.
The memorial just launched its “pavers” project: people can purchase a personalized block that will line the entrance to the memorial.
To donate any amount to the memorial, click here: Forever One Memorial
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