Approaching its Tenth Anniversary as a non-profit advocacy group for the Incline, Incline Friends is pleased to announce three, recent, extremely generous donations to our cause.
All of the donations were made during the month of February, 2021.
Two of the donations came from a trust established by a gentleman who once lived in Manitou Springs and regularly hiked on the Incline. After he passed away in April 2020, the trustee in charge of the fund began considering a way to honor his memory by searching for Colorado organizations that might fit the man’s passion and appreciation for outdoor recreation and natural resources.
After speaking with Incline Friends and seeing some of the work that had been accomplished on and around the Incline, the trustee made an initial donation of $100,000. Shortly thereafter, the trustee sent Incline Friends a donation in the amount of $400,000. The trustee made the determination to make such generous donations “so that Incline Friends can accomplish even more.”
Later in the month, a long-time supporter of Incline Friends, who has made multiple, generous donations through the years gifted our organization with a donation of $25,000. In both cases, the donors prefer to remain anonymous at this time.
These donations validate the efforts of the many people who have worked hard to restore and preserve the Incline and who continue to work to make the Incline a positive experience for everyone.
Donations such as these also speak to the importance of the Incline. For many people the Incline embodies challenge, accomplishment, camaraderie and community. It is the lasting impact that the Incline had on these donors that contributed to their generous support.
Coming on the heels of the 2020 completion of the Northern Return Trail (NRT) from the Incline to the Ute Trail, these generous donations will provide continued momentum as the Incline Friends pursue two of its major goals, construction of another trail from the top of the Incline that would connect with the NRT and construction of permanent bathrooms at the base of the Incline.