Shoreline sprucing (Photo by Rasy Ran)
For the Love of the Lake is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month, but that’s not the only milestone.
Since 1996, the nonprofit has organized 308 consecutive Second Saturday Shoreline Spruce Up events. Volunteers meet every second Saturday of the month to collect litter throughout White Rock Lake Park and along White Rock Creek and the shoreline.
FTLOTL provides all the supplies, including trash bags and gloves. When the pandemic started, nonprofit staff began distributing supplies in a drive-thru, placing them in volunteers’ trunks.
The event is scheduled for Nov. 13 at 10:30 a.m. at the Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther Drive. Lakewood Brewery is the sponsor of the event.
Marcie Novack Winter got the idea to create the organization at the 1995 Trash Bash. She wondered why littering was happening every day, yet there was only one day dedicated to cleaning up. One of the nonprofit’s early efforts was installing about 400 covered trash cans, including recycling bins. Over the years, FTLOTL has taken on many fundraising and other efforts, including one time it tried to set a world record for the largest heart shape made from people.
