Our Benefactors

The 640 acres that the community land lives would likely never have been connected to SLIC and, really, SLIC may never have come into being without the generosity of the Allen family. 

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After seeing the land, Russ (the vice president of SLIC and one of its founders) went to his father (Larry Allen) in Florida to see if he knew people who might want to invest in a large community project. Within minutes of explaining the plan on the way from picking up Russ at the airport, Larry was on board with being the primary (and only) investor. When they arrived home, it took only a few more minutes to have Larry's wife, Gail, on board too. 

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The day the offer was put down on the 640 acres of land in Saguache, Gail was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer. The SLIC board made a point of sharing that they could still back out given the timing and stress, but Gail insisted this would be her legacy whatever happened. 

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Unfortunately, Gail passed away at the end of 2022. One of her last wishes was to see a sunrise and sunset at the land and meet the board (which she did with Russ and Larry's persistence and creativity). Gail's legacy continues to live on with SLIC, and the road that will connect the community land to the rest of the parcels will be called Gail's Way to commemorate her love and faith in us and the SLIC vision. 

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Russ and Larry continue to make SLIC a reality by allowing us use of their land and trailer and bringing their skills, material, love, and unyielding passion to every moment. SLIC is eternally grateful.