Dear Council of 101 Members,
What a wonderful time everyone had at the Council of 101 Summer Luncheon! A large turnout of Members each brought special dishes to share and enjoyed a stylish blue and white themed gathering in the Museum Rotunda, thanks to the talents of Lisa Sheppard and her Membership Committee, and floral designer Christine Girand and her team. Gorgeous ginger jars full of roses and hydrangeas adorned each artfully dressed table. These stunning arrangements were created by Christine with a group the day before, at a floral workshop, where a dozen or so of us had fun making them while learning her pro florist techniques. Keep an eye out for future floral workshops - they are open to all members and are delightful!
We had several special guests and speakers, including Luder Whitlock, the Interim Director for the Museum, who expressed his thanks and support to the Members of the Council of 101. We were also treated to an uplifting poem and other words of kindness from our Past Presidents, Nancy Stephenson and Libby Drosdick, and Joan Kennedy shared a beautiful blessing to begin our luncheon. We want to thank them, and all of the 101 Past Presidents for coming! And on another high note, Allison Hudson announced that Orlando Health has returned as the Platinum Title Sponsor, not only for Festival of Trees this year, but also for Art in Bloom! Kudos to Allison for her efforts in securing this important sponsorship, while at work on several others, soon to be announced. I’m very grateful to all of you who helped make the Summer Luncheon such a memorable event!
Donna Neck, and the Festival of Trees Chairmen and their teams are busy creating the elements and events of Gifts of the Season, the 36th Annual Festival of Trees, November 11 -20, beginning with a glamorous Gala. This talented group will be sharing details of what they have been working on over the summer at our General and Festival meetings. You will soon see our new logo and info about the Festival in ads and on our social media. We are planning an elegant and nostalgic Festival decor - with beautifully displayed trees and vignettes, the Provisionals’ Deck the Halls trees and wreathes, boutiques, Gingerbread Houses, an Auction, drawings in Entertaining & Design, along with other entertainment and special events, all designed to bring the gifts of inspiration and joy to our guests. There are so many Members already working behind the scenes to make Festival run smoothly, I can’t even thank them all, but I would especially like to shout out thanks to our dedicated Council of 101 Board Members. I’m truly thankful for all of the Council of 101 Members!
I look forward to seeing you at the next General Meeting on Thursday,
August 25 at 9:30am. We will have beverages and light bites hosted by
Jan Clanton and friends, we will be learning about the Corporate Lease
Artist, Deborah Roberts, and covering lots - so you won’t want to miss it!
I’d like to end with special congratulations to Council of 101 Administrator, Vanessa Cruz, on her recent engagement! Thanks for all you do for us each week Vanessa!
Warmly,
Linda Cegelis
