Wings Across America
“Love and Courage”

WINGS ACROSS AMERICA: A JOURNEY OF LOVE AND COURAGE THAT HONORED LIVES TRAGICALLY LOST IN LAS VEGAS ON 10/1/17.

On October 1, 2017, 58 lives were tragically lost in the biggest mass shooting at our country has ever seen at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, once again casting our nation into mourning. They were mothers, fathers, teachers, husbands, nurses and friends, daughters, sons, nieces and nephews – people with families, just like us.

On October 2, 2017, landscapers Jay Pleggenkuhle and Daniel Perez went to work on what would become the Las Vegas Community Healing Garden. The city donated land, and one thousand plus volunteers showed up to do everything from shoveling dirt, planting 58 trees and painting rocks with names of lives lost and Angel Wings. The garden was formally dedicated later that week, and has since become a place of memorial, respite, remembrance and love for the entire nation to experience.

Photo: News 3 LV – Bill Hughes/Las Vegas News Bureau

THE SPREAD YOUR WINGS PROJECT ALSO RESPONDED

Sculptor Bobby Jacobs conceived a 6’ tall pair of bluestone Angel Wings to flank the Remembrance Wall in the Healing Garden, carved with the initials of the 58 people who tragically lost their lives.

Bobby’s wings were selected by the city of Las Vegas from among countless other artists wishing to create art for the Healing Garden.

The Spread Your Wings Project launched “Wings Across America,” documenting the journey of the wings from inception to installation in Las Vegas. The wings, named “Love and Courage,” were dedicated with the newly designed Remembrance Wall in a moving ceremony led by Mayor Carolyn Goodman, on 10/1/18.

With “Wings Across America,” sculptor Bobby Jacobs created his largest-scale set of Angel Wings to date for the Las Vegas Community Healing Garden. The wings honor the 58 lives lost in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017, in the nation’s largest mass shooting in history.

Bobby’s wings are engraved with the initials of everyone who lost their lives in this tragedy. They were dedicated with the newly designed Remembrance Wall at the LV Community Healing Garden in a moving ceremony led by Mayor Carolyn Goodman, on October 1, 2018.

The dedication was profound, with crowds gathering in the garden in the days leading up to the ceremony. Watching families respond to Bobby’s sculpture was incredibly moving, with surviving family members placing their hands over the initials of their lost loved ones. Many took turns having their photos taken in front of the wings, even placing a candle between them.

Honorable Mayor Carolyn Goodman and city attorney Bob Jerbic led the dedication, sharing beautiful sentiments of remembrance and resilience.

We are incredibly grateful to have donated a work of art that will continue to support the families of the 58 victims and other survivors in connecting with and honoring their lost loved ones.

-Elizabeth and Bobby Jacobs

Watch press coverage of the journey and event

About The LV Community Healing Garden:

The LV Community Healing Garden was created to celebrate life, beauty, love and compassion. Its message is one of choosing love over fear, life over death, hope over despair – and, helping each other heal.

The garden was built in three days by community members and local businesses following the 10/1/17 tragedy at the Route 91 music festival. It features a Remembrance Wall, a grove of 58 trees lining a paved path, shrubs, and flowers, all encircling a beautiful oak tree – “the tree of life” donated by Siegfried and Roy. The 58 trees were planted to signify the 58 lives lost on that tragic evening. Painted rocks, flowers, pictures, and other mementos placed by community members offering their condolences, prayers, and remembrance of loved ones can be found at the trees and all around the garden.

More about the LV Healing Garden

The LV Community Healing Garden serves as a place of calm to remember those touched by tragedy while providing a place of refuge for healing. It is a living garden that celebrates life, compassion and the fellowship we find in community.

Get Outdoors Nevada (GON) is the home for the LV Community Healing Garden Committee and serves as the designated nonprofit partner working with the City of Las Vegas to manage and care for this special community garden. With the partnership of the LV Community Healing Garden Committee and the City of Las Vegas, GON supports this special outdoor place where people can find healing and experience fellowship within their community. Get Outdoors Nevada:

Manages and cares for the garden in conjunction with members of the LV Community Healing Garden Committee
Assists with fundraising and healing events
Stewarding the development of the garden and adjacent areas

For donations in support of the LV Community Healing Garden, please click here.

LV Community Healing Garden is located at 1015 S Casino Center Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89101