Have you heard the exciting news? Last week, the Council of 101 was awarded a grant specifically for Seniors Day in the amount of $30,000 by The Elinor and T.W. Miller, Jr. Foundation. The monies will allow us to enhance the days entertainment and activities, with more enjoyable features designed especially for the Senior community. Part of the grant will also allow us to offer free admission to up to 400 seniors in the Central Florida area. Seniors Day will be Tuesday, November 15th. Many more details to follow!

Dear Council of 101 Members,

September sped by, with Hurricane Ian dominating our lives for a while, and I pray you all had minimal effects from the storm and quick recoveries. Council of 101 was pleased to aid an OMA staff member severely affected by the storm with a donation. But before the storm chaos, we so enjoyed a tailgating-themed September General Membership Meeting, complete with a chili cook off - thanks to the Hospitality Hosts, Kim and Laura Burst and their committee members. 

October is an incredibly busy month for us as we prepare for a spectacular 36th Annual Festival of Trees and celebrate our membership at the annual Homecoming Meeting on Friday, October 28 at 11:30am. Please notice this is a date change for our October General Membership Homecoming Meeting. You won’t want to miss this gathering as we honor our Past Presidents and Sustainers, and as several members are awarded our new Emeritus status. It’s a fun, fall-themed gathering, and a time to reconnect with our 101 friends. 

The preparations for Festival of Trees, Gifts of the Season are in full swing! The Gala Committee is preparing a chic opening night celebration with entertainment, drinks and dining throughout the galleries. This year, for the first time ever, Seniors Day will offer free admission to the first 400 seniors, thanks to the generosity of the Elinor & TW Miller, Jr. Foundation. And all of our family events including Reindeer Romp, Breakfast with Santa and Ugly Sweater Day are in development by our talented Council of 101 members, and fully sponsored thanks to Orlando Health, Macys and many other treasured supporters. 

Be sure to sign up for your shifts, as well as plan to attend these fun events in the links below. 

There’s so many exciting things happening in the Council of 101 this fall season. I am truly in awe of our members many gifts, and grateful for your generosity of time and talent!

Council of 101 President 

Linda Cegelis 

It's Almost the Most

Wonderful Time of Year! 

Tickets are now available for this year's Festival of Trees Opening Night Gala and we hope you'll join us as we celebrate the "Gifts of the Season".

You'll enjoy gourmet food stations, a professionally staffed bar, complimentary valet and various entertainers throughout the evening. Along with the smooth sound of The Chris Aycrigg Quartet, you’ll also be entertained by the a cappella talents of The Four Counts, as they present holiday inspired songs to kick off the season. 

Our feature entertainer is performance artist, Rock DeMarco, who will paint an original piece that will be included in the Silent Auction. Rock is a nationally known artist and you won't want to miss him perform! 

General Gala admission includes all of the above with admissions beginning at 7 p.m. Member tickets can be purchased here:

Gifts of the Season - 36th Annual Festival of Trees Gala Tickets, Fri, Nov 11, 2022 at 7:00 PM

A limited number of Reserved Tables are available (tables of 6 and 4) and can be purchased by contacting the Council of 101 office at

(407) 896-4231 ext. 254. 

Reserved Table patrons will have early access to Gala beginning at 6 p.m. and will enjoy a special bottle of wine, generously provided by Golden Hour Wine in Baldwin Park.

We hope to see you on November 11th.

Han Truong, Allison O'Baker 

Gala Chairs 

2022 Festival of Trees Member Obligations 

As a reminder, the 2022 Member FOT Financial Obligation is $175 for Actives and Provisionals and $120 for Associates. 

You can fulfill your obligation by purchasing tickets to FOT events, sponsorship, or by making a donation. You’ll find links to all options on the website: Log into councilof101.org,

click on “Members” (passcode is 1965) and scroll to find tickets for purchase as well as sponsorship and donation opportunities. Click “View All” to see all available options. You’ll find more information on each event on the website.  

We encourage you to use the website for purchases, but if you prefer to pay by check, please send to the Council of 101 office. Please reach out if you have questions or need assistance. Thank you for your financial support of FOT and Council of 101!  

Andrea Balanzategui

Membership Treasurer

407-451-3878 or andreab34567@gmail.com

Here are easy links for purchase below:

Council of 101 member prices for tickets

Adult FOT ticket – HERE

Child FOT ticket – HERE

Opening Night Gala – General Admission ticket -HERE

Breakfast with Santa HERE

Reindeer Romp - HERE

Reindeer Romp – Rudolph’s VIP Pass - HERE

Member Only Sponsorship - HERE

Donation Active Member $175– HERE

Donation Provisional Member - $175 HERE

Donation Associate Member -$120 HERE

Additional Donation -$10 HERE

If you have bought tickets to the events you wish to attend and find yourself under the financial obligation amount, you can use this donation link to make up the difference.

Festival of Trees 2022 Sponsorship Opportunities 

Help us share the “Gifts of the Season” this year by connecting us with those who would love to support the Council of 101 and the museum.

It is the Council of 101 membership and community support that continues to make the Festival of Trees a success every year. Check out the updated sponsorship levels and special “members only” options for FOT 2022 below. Please email Allison if are interesed in the members only special.

All sponsor forms are available online as well as paper forms. Please use the following links, or if you are using paper forms , have a completed form for each cash or in-kind donation, and drop off at the 101 office .

If you have questions or would like us to reach out to someone personally on your behalf, contact, Allison Hudson, VP of Corporate Development & Sponsorship. ashudson@me.com Cell: (407) 920-7868

Here are the links for download :

Complete Sponsor Package Information with Letter

General Sponsor Form to download and print

General Sponsor Online Form

Deck the Halls Online Sponsor Form

Silent Auction Online Sponsor Form

Marketing News 

Momentum is building for Festival of Trees and Council of 101 and it’s evident by the activity within social media.  Council of 101’s Instagram page has increased our followers and comments are coming in on all platforms – Facebook and Instagram.

Can we count on you to get social for Council of 101 and Festival of Trees by spreading the word about Gifts of the Season?  To make it easy for you please access the new Council of 101 Social Medial Guide is in this link to provide instruction on how you can build proper messaging about Festival of Trees and the events.  You’ll learn about #hashtags and more! Click HERE for the  PDF

Want to learn about our Council of 101 website and how to navigate?  Check out this video on C101 Website video HERE 

More resources are on the way!  A “Fast Facts” sheet is in development with talking points to aid all volunteers and Council members. Two postcards are in development for Opening Night Gala and for general admission and special event promotion and are anticipated to hit mailboxes in the weeks ahead!  

What else is going on? 

·   Ugly Sweater Day, Saturday, November 19 planning underway. The day will feature an Ugly Sweater contest between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. with jolly judges choosing the winners!  Flyers are being distributed to targeted schools around the area to reach families.

·     A survey question has been added to Eventbrite for those who purchase tickets to track how our community learns about Festival of Trees.  This will aid us in future marketing strategies. 

If your committee has marketing support needs, please let us know. Contact Carla Bray, VP Market & Media at cbraytennis@gmail.com. 

Gala Flowers Workshop 

Come help the Gala be Beautiful and learn how to create a centerpiece from start to finish! A two day Opening Night Gala Flower workshop is being offered to our members by Christine Girand on Thursday, November 10^th and Friday November 11, from 10:00 to 12:30 at OMA.

The first day you will learn how to process flowers and build mechanics and the second day you will design your arrangement. The arrangements will be used for the Gala and be available to be picked up that evening.  The two-day workshop is $45.

If you are only available to attend on Friday the workshop will be $65.00.  Please sign up as soon as possible as the space is limited. You may prepurchase an arrangement for $75 by clicking here.

Silent Auction Committee

Asks For Your Help !

The Silent Auction Committee is working hard for Festival of Trees, preparing for a successful auction. 

The auction will run the entirety of the festival via our online bidding software, One Cause. This software has enabled us to have successful auctions where bidding is available anytime day or night ! 

We have already received some items from Council of 101 members, and are so gratetful for your donations !

We still need a few more though ! We are asking for donations of new items, gift cards for baskets, services, vacation stays, wine, experiences , 

(theater tickets, Disney ,Universal, etc ) or even monetary donations to purchase items to create baskets for the auction. 

If you can help us make this a great success, please use this online sponsor form HERE We are appreciative of your support !

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

Unfortunately, our Mix and Mingle had to be rescheduled due to Hurricane Ian.  The new date is January 19^th, 2023, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm – same great Council of 101 members, food and wine plus docent tours of the Orlando Museum of Art to share with potential new members.  But it is a perfect time to invite them to other Council of 101 events coming up in October and November.

First, it’s time to come out and SHOP!!  Especially when 10% of your purchase goes back to fundraising for Council of 101.  Please join us at The Hunt, The Grove, Clementine, Coco Indigo and Monkee’s all day on October 20^th.  Be sure and fill out a raffle ticket at each of the participating merchants when shopping.  We will have raffle prizes from these merchants which you could win when you come to Happy Hour at the Ravenous Pig that day at 5:30 pm.  Please see links below for details of store hours and locations.  

Clementine  Coco Indigo The Grove WP

The Hunt      Monkee’s of Winter Park

Next, we have our October Homecoming Luncheon on Friday, October 28^th.  We will be recognizing those who have reached our new status of Emeritus - 50 Years of Membership in Council of 101.  I had the opportunity to speak to each of them this past week, what a pleasure that was!!  You won’t want to miss hearing from them – Jean Builder, Sue Chicone, Judith Larue, Ellen Morrell, Eleanor Taylor plus our Honorary Members – Libby Drosdick, Frances March and Nancy Stephenson.

Finally, Festival of Trees is less than a month away.  Besides are Festival of Trees financial obligations as an Active, Associate or Provisional Member we are responsible for working our Volunteer Shifts.  It is not an option but a requirement which could jeopardize meeting your requirements for continued membership in Council of 101. 

Please see the Sign-up Genius links in this newsletter and when you receive an email for signing up. The requirements under our Bylaws and Policies are as follows: 

Actives     3 shifts 

Associate   2 shifts 

Provisionals  3 shifts

So invite a potential new member to work a shift with you!!