CEED Appreciates Your Help!

“The world is still a lovely place if we know where to look.

We must strive all we can to preserve what is left.”   

Dennis Puleston (Long Island environmentalist and artist)

Here we are on this CEED journey together and I am thankful you have been a part of this ride.

I know you feel our natural places are a treasure to appreciate and preserve. Thank you for helping to restore the Washington Lodge and surrounding grounds, and to provide opportunities for young, old, and everyone in between to connect with nature.

I was a volunteer and supporter at CEED before I became Executive Director, and I am proud of all we’ve done together. We’re grateful for help from the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, local politicians, and especially you. Whenever you give time or financial support, you are important to our success.

I hope you’ll join me in continuing to help us reach our goals. I assure you will be proud of your contribution and the fact that you were part of creating this beautiful place.

Less than two years ago, I was welcomed into the Washington Lodge for an interview and immediately felt connected. I feel this grand old building hug and welcome me every day I go to work. One of my favorite children’s books is The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. I think of the Lodge as the “Not So Little House” sitting and waiting for her next adventure. She has watched horses pass by and cars evolve from the Model T to the Tesla electric car. She has been filled with families, exotic animals owned by an inventor, a restaurant, a boarding house, a school, and a retreat. She was even home to a family of raccoons! Remnants of love and care can be found all over, whether beautiful woodwork and plasterwork or the antique artifacts we keep finding.

CEED encompasses a little bit of all that. We treasure art, creativity, exploration, education, nature, community, discovery, and a sense of place on this planet.

My mission is to restore the Lodge, so she stands a little brighter and taller soon. I hope you’ll help me bring back the bustling happiness that was once here. As I write this letter, an alarm contractor is installing a fire protection system, inching us closer to the day when we can open the door and welcome you in. This little hurdle is the first of many, but I know we will eventually get to that finish line.

In the surrounding fields and on the Dennis Puleston Preserve trails, more days than not, children are running, laughing, exploring, and learning the joys of being outside in CEED-based programs or with one of our program partners. Watching children play and explore in nature gives me hope that our future is in good hands.

I also ask you to please support CEED during this Annual Appeal to help us continue to be an integral part of the community. CEED is a nonprofit organization, so we need your help. With your support, we will continue to improve and expand to benefit the community, Long Island, and our lovely planet.

Fondly and with great appreciation,

Sally Wellinger

P.S. If you haven’t been for a walk at CEED recently, come and see what Dennis Puleston was talking about when he said, “The world is still a lovely place if we know where to look.” Thank you for all your help and support!