COMMENTARY: Forever One Memorial needs community help

On Friday Las Vegas breaks ground on the Forever One Memorial, a permanent place to honor everyone impacted by the events of Oct. 1, 2017, while celebrating the spirit of unity that arose from the tragedy. When its doors open on Oct. 1, 2027 — the 10th remembrance of the night that changed this city forever — visitors will have a place to remember those we lost, reflect on what this community endured and find connection and hope in what we built together.

For nearly nine years, this community has promised survivors and those affected that we would build a permanent place to remember, reflect and heal. Now, we have the opportunity and responsibility to keep that promise. But while the first phase is fully funded, $6.5 million remains to complete the vision. The finish line is in sight, and we need our community to help us cross it.

It’s worth remembering why.

Fifty-eight lives were taken, with two additional individuals passing in the years after. Hundreds were injured. Thousands more were changed forever. More than 22,000 people were present that night, including Nevadans from every region of our state and visitors from across the country and around the world.

In the years since, this community has channeled grief into action. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department adopted all 93 recommendations from its after-action review, strengthening communication, coordination and emergency response. A dedicated Wellness Bureau now provides continuous mental health support for first responders and their families. The Resiliency &Justice Center delivers long-term, trauma-informed care, including legal services, mental health support and advocacy for victims and their families. These are structural changes that have made Nevada safer, more prepared and more resilient.

Policy can protect a community. It cannot tell its story. The people who lived Oct. 1 can.

Heather Melton survived that night. Her husband, Sonny, did not. “The events of 1 October reach far beyond those of us who were there,” she said. “This memorial is a statement that those who lost their lives will not be forgotten, and that light will not be overshadowed by dark.”

That is what this memorial offers: 58 names, known and remembered, not reduced to a moment in time.

For first responders, the weight of that night is carried differently, but just as deeply. Kelly McMahill, who led the after-action review that shaped Nevada’s emergency response reforms, speaks to both the burden and the purpose: “To be able to look down and see the utter destruction, that will never leave me. But what also stays with me is what happened next: The entire valley of first responders came together. That’s why this memorial matters.”

The Forever One Memorial reaches beyond its physical site. Every year, more students walk through our schools with no memory of Oct. 1. Educational programming exists to close that gap — teaching not only what happened, but how a community responded, with compassion, advocacy, resiliency and empowerment.

We are asking the community to help us fulfill our promise to never forget. Philanthropic and corporate leaders can invest in something that will serve this community for generations. Individuals can be part of the memorial’s story through commemorative pavers.

Las Vegas is not only a city that endured tragedy. It is a city that responded with humanity, built something better and chose connection over fear — and it has $6.5 million left to prove it.

Tennille Pereira is a veteran advocate for Oct. 1 survivors and executive director of the Vegas Strong Fund. To learn more or to give, visit foreveronememorial.org.