AURORA | Monday marks 14 years since a catastrophic mass shooting at an Aurora theater killed 12 people, injured 70 and tore apart the lives of surviving family members.

“My heart aches for each of the victims killed in this terrible tragedy. Their loss has impacted their families and communities forever, and I know that their memories will never fade,” former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords said in a statement. “This appalling shooting should never have happened.”

She created “GIFFORDS” after her own gun attack as an effort to find answers to gun violence.

The group has worked with the families of Aurora theater shooting victims and Colorado lawmakers to pass “Jessi’s Law” in 2023.

That measure, sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Tom Sullivan, whose own son was killed during the theater shooting, worked to repeal gun industry immunity laws. 

“I’m especially proud of my friends Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, whose daughter Jessi Redfield Ghawi was killed, as well as Senator Tom Sullivan, whose son Alex lost his life that night,” Giffords said. “They have worked to turn their pain into action, and Colorado is a safer state because of it.”

For the 11th year, the 7/20 Memorial Foundation will hold its annual Day of Resilience July 25, bringing survivors, victims’ families, first responders and community members together to honor those killed, injured and affected by the 2012 Aurora theater shooting while celebrating healing and resilience.

The free public event is slated from 8 a.m. to noon at the Aurora Water-Wise Garden, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway.

The day’s activities begin at 7:30 a.m. with the fifth annual Hero’s Journey 5K and Kids Run, preceded by music from DJ Sinna-G and a warm-up led by Stride Fitness Southlands. The walk and run, led by survivor and firefighter Zack Golditch, raises money for the Zack Golditch Opportunity Scholarship through a partnership with the Aurora Public Schools Foundation. Registration costs $12 to $40.

The festival will feature nearly 50 professional chalk artists creating murals centered on remembrance, resilience and hope, along with a wellness fair offering trauma-informed resources, therapy dogs, mindfulness activities, art therapy and community organizations.

The event also includes live music, family activities, local food vendors and a craft beverage experience featuring participating breweries. Unlimited tastings will be available for a suggested donation benefiting the foundation. Organizers said the event will also include a designated sober gathering space.

“The Day of Resilience is about making space for people to show up exactly as they are,” Heather Dearman, chief executive officer of the 7/20 Memorial Foundation, said in a statement. “From the Hero’s Journey 5K and Chalk Art Festival to the Wellness Fair and opportunities for connection — it is intentionally designed to remind people that healing looks different for everyone, and that no one has to walk that journey alone.”

Beyond the 2012 carnage and suffering, the massacre stripped Aurora of its anonymity. Like Virginia Tech before it and Newtown after, Aurora post-July 20 is “one of those places,” forever bound to the American gun violence that shocks the world with increasing frequency.

Despite the association with the mass shooting, however, the city’s former mayor said the city has grown to accept and build on the tragedy of the shooting. The city has incorporated its fate into a new role as a leader in healing and moving past such disasters, local memorial foundation volunteers say.

Former Mayor Steve Hogan said the theater shooting absolutely enveloped Aurora, but it’s never defined it.

While Aurora will for at least generations be harnessed to the tragedy, it’s absorbed the distinction but moved on in what some say is a healing process for communities struck by such tragedies.

Each year, as July 20 rolls around, the memories are stirred.

Founded in 2013 after the Aurora theater shooting, the 7/20 Memorial Foundation group initially led fundraising, planning and construction of the permanent 7/20 memorial, which was completed in 2018. The organization has since expanded its mission to support survivors and communities affected by mass violence through advocacy, remembrance and healing programs.

The annual Day of Resilience has become one of the foundation’s signature events, bringing together survivors, families and supporters to commemorate those lost while emphasizing recovery and community connection.

Details and 5K registration are available  at 7-20memorial.org/upcoming-events/day-of-resilience-2026. 

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