White Rock Lake Park is the largest urban park in the nation 1,772 acres - that's twice the size of Central Park in New York City!
Once a bison watering hole and a Native American hunting ground, White Lake Park has served the people of Dallas, Texas, for hundreds of years. It became a modern day city park on December 13, 1929. In 1995, a collection of concerned Dallas citizens formed a grass-roots activist organization called For the Love of the Lake. Working in partnership with the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department, this group has been responsible for numerous park improvements.
For the Love of the Lake at White Rock Lake Park has 8,600+ volunteers that come out to the PARK, helping to preserve and enhance it as an oasis for the community to enjoy. They offer Free Family Fun activities involving reforestation, and spruce-up venues year round. Shoreline erosion is one of our newest endeavors helping to protect the community and re-establish wildlife habitats.
Today our Volunteer Spotlight shines on Lis Akins, Executive Director with For the Love of the Lake (FTLOTL) at White Rock Lake Park, who uses VolunteerSpot's free online signup sheets to coordinate volunteers.
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Please tell us about your organizationand your volunteer needs.
Our 47 Adopt-a-Shoreline (AAS) groups improved Lake shoreline areas; all in sight of the extensive hike and bike trails as well as in view of paddlers with water-craft. With a waiting list of 6 groups, we continue to expand participants from businesses, schools, scouts and more, training volunteers in safe stewardship practice. We replaced 17 signs and will need to replace at least 5 more next year.
Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.
VolunteerSpot helped ideally with recruiting and setting the numbers of volunteers who were interested in helping with reforestation at White Rock Lake Park. It was nice to have the reminders already set in place, and delegating out specific duties.
For the Love of the Lake (FTLOTL) would like to thank VolunteerSpot for helping us to coordinate the volunteers participating in our White Rock Lake Park reforestation activities. FTLOTL was able to improve 9.33 miles of trail around White Rock Lake Park (WRLP) and 1.5 miles of neighboring tributaries feeding into White Rock Lake which resulted in a centrally located urban green space utilized by millions of visitors per year.
What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteers out there?
The on-line live help sessions are good for the first time user of VolunteerSpot, as well as the returning user.
Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?
VolunteerSpot had several recommendations from others, and I found it very user friendly as well. It was nice to have the reminders already set in place, and for delegating out specific duties.
Anything else you'd like to share with our readers, today?
For the Love of the Lake also has a Texas Stream Team component. We continue to support water testing and training of volunteers to become certified water testers in counties throughout
North Texas. This year we increased our dedicated office space to the water monitoring program to facilitate its growth.
To help these activities continuing forward, you can donate to participate by visiting http://www.whiterocklake.org/, and clicking on the donation heart.
Help us love the lake - White Rock Lake Park, Dallas, Texas, by sharing the green in 2014.
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We salute Lis and all the other volunteers out there - YOU make a difference. If you're using VolunteerSpot, write and tell us about what you're doing and give us a chance to shine our Volunteer Spotlight on you!! Just email us at [email protected].
