Join devoted volunteers

By Gail Greenaway

Many people take advantage of Saturday mornings to sleep in and leisurely catch up with friends over coffee. For the Love of the Lake’s Padillac volunteers are a different breed. They set their alarms to wake up early, grab a handful of snacks, and head out to the east shoreline of White Rock Lake to participate in the organization’s Second Saturday Shoreline Spruce-Up. The Padillacs are a team of volunteers, experienced in maneuvering kayaks or canoes, who paddle out on the lake to retrieve litter that cannot be reached from land.

The Padillacs play an instrumental role in the effort to keep White Rock Lake Park clean and green. The heavy rain in March and April washed volumes of trash downstream. A handful of volunteers can make a significant impact on the environment. On April 13, seven energetic volunteers launched in five canoes to bring in a mountain of trash. Items pulled from the lake this month included several backpacks, two coolers, a car fender and a laundry basket. In addition to the Padillacs, more than 200 volunteers participated in April’s Second Saturday Shoreline Spruce-Up. Weather permitting, For the Love of the Lake has six canoes and three kayaks available for volunteers to use, free of charge, on the Second Saturday of the month on a first-come first-served basis. For more information, email [email protected]. 

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