IPA Donates To Columbine Memorial

IPA played an instrumental role in the participation of President Bill Clinton at the Columbine Memorial fundraiser on Tuesday, July 20 at the Adams Mark Hotel in Denver, Colo. as well as donated $5,000 toward the memorial.

Shortly after the Columbine tragedy, a Memorial Committee formed to select and develop design concepts for a permanent memorial site to honor the victims of the April 20, 1999 shootings at Columbine High School. The committee consists of students, faculty, parents, emergency responders and community business leaders who have been working on the memorial plans for more than four years. The planning process has included a series of public meetings, information gathered from more than 3,500 survey responses and a series of public meetings focusing on input from families of the deceases and injured victims. The committee unveiled final memorial plans in May of 2003.

The goals of the memorial are as follows:

• Create a respectful place where family members and the community/visitors can gain an understanding of the tragic event.
• Create a memorial with content and purpose fully derived from members of the Columbine community in keeping with the materials and natural forms of the Columbine area.
• Recognize and honor the deceased, injured, survivors and community members.
• Incorporate the "never forgotten" ribbon concept design. The Columbine ribbon has become a symbol of community unification and strength.

"The ultimate responsibility of all is to help others. A tragedy such as the Columbine shootings demands that each and every one of us uphold our responsibility to soothe the pain associated with this travesty," said John Burgess, Managing Director of IPA.

In addition, IPA underwrote the Las Vegas Photography company to photograph the event for the Columbine Memorial Committee.

For more information and design plan images, visit the Columbine Memorial Web site at www.columbinememorial.org.