The Cranes Are Coming: Memorial Launches Today

One thousand paper cranes will cover the grass on Forest Park's Art Hill today, part of a memorial for fallen first responders.

The event will honor the 140 St. Louis area police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel and FBI agents who have been killed in the line of duty since 1960.

The cranes will be placed on Art Hill in Forest Park with a ceremony that begins at 10 a.m.

The cranes will be sold for $10 to raise money for The Backstoppers, an organization that provides financial assistance to the families of St. Louis area first responders killed in the line of duty.

According to the Suburban Journals, one of the volunteers creating the cranes is Susan King, widow of Sgt. Michael King. King was shot and killed at Leland and Delmar on Oct. 31, 2008.

King told the Suburban Journals that Backstoppers helped her after her husband's death. "They're such a huge help. They just came and helped me with my finances," she told the paper.

Each finished crane will be 25 inches tall with a wing span of 42 inches. For more information about adopting a crane, visit http://www.stlcraneproject.com.

For more on Sgt. King, see the following stories: