Joey Raccoon says “Please don’t give to CEED!”

Dear Friend of CEED,

You don’t know me, but I used to live in the Washington Lodge. My raccoon buddies and I had such a deal going on.

Thanks to vandals, there was a nice broken window, which made it easy to get in and out. We were protected from the rain … as long as you stayed out of the places where the roof leaked. There were plenty of places, like above the ceilings, where we could cozy up.

It was party time for racoons! Until CEED moved in …

Now … argghhh! Those CEED people have been steadily fixing up the building. They kicked us all out. They closed up all the entry holes. They restored the electricity and heat. They’ve fixed most of the roof leaks. They’re even adding a fire safety system.

And there are plans to open the building to the public early in 2022!

There are people at the Washington Lodge all the time now. Kids learning about the forests. Volunteers getting rid of invasive plants. They’ve had programs about whales and sea turtles and even lemurs, for goodness sakes. Lemurs! We call them “imitation raccoons.” Many of them don’t even eat bugs! What fun is a diet of fruit and vegetables?

I thought those CEED people said they like local wildlife. So why won’t they let me back in the Washington Lodge? They claim they’re making it a community resource for nature.

Who needs that?!

So I’m begging you. Whatever you do, DON’T make a gift to CEED for Giving Tuesday.  Besides, I heard that CEED Board members are offering to match any donation you make. That means your gift will go twice as far to help CEED ensure that I never get my Washington Lodge home back!

That would be terrible!!

Sure, we raccoons “belong” in the forest, living in trees and all that. But we liked our Washington Lodge home, and we want it back! Please don’t give to CEED on Giving Tuesday!

Joey Raccoon