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Photo by Desiree Espada

Many East Dallasites enjoy the pleasures that White Rock Lake has to offer — walking and biking, birding, boating and beautiful nature trails through the underbrush.

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Sometimes it’s easy to forget it takes a lot of time and money to keep the lake looking so beautiful, which is exactly why groups like the White Rock Lake Foundation are so important.

White Rock Lake Foundation is a non-profit organization that partners with the City of Dallas to raise awareness and monetary support for White Rock Lake, and it’s celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

When founder Jeannie Terilli moved back to Dallas more than 25 years ago, after a stint in Colorado, she began making frequent visits to White Rock Lake.

“And when I saw what a mess it was — trees over the dam just hanging, and trash and stuff growing out of the lake,” she remembers. “The hike and bike trails, everything needed to be fixed.”

She met with the City of Dallas and began asking them what she could do to help. The city told her about the master plan for the lake, completed in the late-’80s.

The master plan is an all-encompassing approach to the lake that includes beautification efforts such as reforestation or amenities such as hike and bike trails or lighting, as well as dredging, which needs to be done every 15 to 20 years.

After forming an organization, Terilli says she immediately began raising awareness for plan’s highest priority, which was the dredging of White Rock Lake.

It would need to come from bond projects, because a non-profit like White Rock Lake Foundation couldn’t raise as much money as the lake needs.

For 25 years, the White Rock Lake Foundation has continued to campaign for bond issues and raise money to beautify the lake through events such as its annual golf tournament.

Coming up on Nov. 2, White Rock Lake Foundation hosts its second annual Praise the Lake event at the White Rock Lake Filter Building from noon-3 p.m., which includes brunch, a bloody mary bar, a cash bar and a silent auction.

For more details, visit whiterocklakefoundation.org.