Over a decade after the Aurora theater shooting, residents gathered Saturday to reflect and heal at the annual Reflection Garden on Tap fundraiser and 5K.

It has been 11 years since a gunman opened fire in a midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” at a theater in Aurora.

On July 20, 2012, the gunman took 12 lives. Seventy more were injured but survived and the lives of countless others were upended.

Those who died that day were Jonathan Blunk, 26, Alexander J. Boik, 18, Jesse Childress, 29, Gordon Cowden, 51, Jessica Ghawi (also went by Jessica Redfield), 24, John Larimer, 27, Matt McQuinn, 27, Micayla Medek, 23, Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6, Alex Sullivan, 27, Alexander C. Teves, 24, and Rebecca Wingo, 32.

Saturday’s event, to remember the victims and provide a healing space for the community, began with “The Hero’s Journey” 5K run/walk at 8 a.m.

The 5K was followed by a community celebration, with wellness booths dedicated to healing trauma, local breweries offering beer tasting, chalk artists and live music.

Mike and Sarah Brandt, visiting from Illinois, came across the event Saturday because of the 5K.

After running the race, the Brandts meandered through the garden, reading the biographies of each shooting victim and placing flowers on their memorials.

“We came here to run the 5K this morning, and now we’re learning more about this event and community,” Sarah Brandt said.

Twenty-two professional chalk artists lined the walkways through the garden, creating chalk murals based on the theme “be the light,” meant to inspire attendees to spread hope, love and positivity in their communities.

Chalk artist Nicole Fuentes-Vargas, clad in knee pads, gloves and a hat to protect from the sun, worked on creating a chalk mural of mountains with light rays behind them.

Fuentes-Vargas’s mountain mural reflected the theme through inspiring optimism and brightness in the community, she said.

“It’s a really cool theme in general, to choose to be the better or brighter person or the more optimistic person,” Fuentes-Vargas said. “This is a good way to remind people that if we’re all bright together, then we get this beautiful glow.”

Fuentes-Vargas said art has a therapeutic benefit for everyone, and especially those in mourning.

“Art is really therapeutic and can connect people because everybody as a child is taught to create and is encouraged to let their creative side flow and then it kind of stops as you get older,” Fuentes-Vargas said. “It’s beneficial in so many ways in just reminding people of the core values of existence.”

Becky Hogan, the wife of late Aurora mayor Steve Hogan, has worked with the 7/20 Foundation since it started during her husband’s time as mayor, she said.

Steve Hogan was Aurora’s mayor at the time of the shooting and was the “champion” in opening the memorial garden, Becky Hogan said.

The annual event was created to remember those who died in the shooting and give the community a space to heal and encourage one another.

“We know that pain doesn’t always go away and I wish I could tell you that everything is better for everybody involved, but their hearts still hurt,” Hogan said. “We want this event to showcase the ways to heal, whether it’s through music, whether it’s through beer.”

Mental health and recovery organizations had booths at the event to provide resources to those who needed them.

Despite the growing number of violent events like the Aurora theater shooting, the victims will be remembered through the annual event, Hogan said.

“It’s horrible to have to say that tragedies like this are not new to communities throughout the United States,” Hogan said. “We celebrate those who survived and promise to never forget those who passed.”

The organization sends their love and care nationwide as well, creating wreaths out of paper cranes to send to other communities that experience shootings.

“We’ll send a wreath that memorializes the fact that they’re loved in this community,” Hogan said. “We know how that feels and we send them words of encouragement, love, support and healing just to let other people know that we are here with them and that they’re not alone.”