(July 27, 1976 – May 16, 2022)
Sequoia Slentz, a Laguna Beach musician, promoter, and philanthropist, passed away on May 16. He was 45 years old.
Born July 27, 1976, Slentz grew up running around the Sawdust Art Festival and Shaw’s Cove, a place that remained special to him throughout his life. He graduated in 1994 from Laguna Beach High School where he met his wife, Leslie Christen, with whom he had two sons: Micah, 16, and Logan, 12. Slentz attended San Diego State University.
Sequoia was the lead singer of Yer Mom, a Laguna Beach punk band. He released music from other area bands as well as groups from out of state on his CleanBox Entertainment label. For years, he booked Monday nights at the Sandpiper Lounge, which was often packed.
CleanBox grew to become a successful live events company, with Sequoia and his team promoting performances across the U.S. by well-known acts such as Artie Lange and the Fab Faux. He launched comedy tours featuring personalities from The Howard Stern Show, including a three-day festival in Jamaica.
Slentz expanded and developed his family’s land in Point Arena, Calif. into Buckridge Grove, a highly rated and reviewed campground that is consistently filled with nature lovers throughout the camping season.
In 2012, Slentz and Micah started Play Well Africa after Micah, then only six years old, said he wanted to send LEGO sets to kids in Africa who didn’t have any. In 2015, the nonprofit gained national media attention and LEGO donations poured in.
Sequoia and his family traveled to Uganda many times and brought more than 4,000 pounds of LEGO to families and schools there and in other countries on the continent. To date, PWA has provided some 6,000 children, who previously had no toys or learning tools, with the opportunity to play with LEGO on a regular basis. The nonprofit remains active and will continue in Slentz’s memory.
While in Uganda, Slentz sponsored schooling for a number of children, including Esther and Veronica, whom he regarded as his daughters. He was deeply fulfilled by his philanthropic work to dramatically and tangibly improve the lives of his Ugandan friends, including a woman who was able to have a large tumor removed from her face.
The rare combination of dreamer and man of action, Slentz could not help but change the lives of those around him simply by being who he was. His entrepreneurial spirit was infectious. He saw the world as a place of endless possibility and freely shared that vision with everyone he met. Slentz led many people to accomplish things that he knew were possible for them before they could see it themselves.
As an avid traveler who believed in the transformative power of cultural exchange, Slentz visited more than 20 countries with his sons and lived abroad with them for months at a time. He is survived by hundreds of friends throughout the world.
“Planet Earth is my country and my religion is to do good,” Slentz regularly said. He did a staggering amount of good in his 45 years on this planet. Thank you for inspiring us to be our best selves, Sequoia. We’ll take it from here.
A memorial will be held in Laguna Beach at a later date. Please email [email protected] to be notified.
In lieu of flowers, a fundraiser for Micah and Logan’s education is being held at: gofundme.com/f/help-support-micah-and-logan
Play Well Africa is holding a memorial fundraiser to ship 1,600 pounds of donated LEGO that Slentz had stored in California to Uganda and to continue the schooling of Ugandan children he sponsored. Donate at https://www.gofundme.com/f/playwellafrica
[PAID ANNOUNCEMENT]
Rest in peace my friend. We didn’t always see things the same way, but you changed my life in a lot of good ways. Thank you.