Dear Council of 101 members,

I’m so impressed with each of you, and of all of the talents that you bring towards making Festival of Trees such an inspiring event! I am truly grateful for the gifts of the countless hours and collaborative effort put forth for our event that opens at the end of this week. I hope to see you to celebrate of all your efforts at Opening Night Gala!

As I have served as your president this year, giving thanks has been a constant theme through this lovely group. As the Festival comes to a close, we will officially be in the week of Thanksgiving. I pray for abundant blessings and good health for you and your family.

With gratitude, 

Linda Cegelis 

Council of 101 President 

Opening Night Gala

Tickets and tables are still 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 

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 10th 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 if $45. If you are only available to attend on Friday, the workshop will be $65.00. Click here to purchase the options on our website Please sign up as soon as possible as the space is limited.

You may prepurchase an arrangement for $75 by clicking here.

News From Membership Treasurer

‍Festival of Trees Member Financial Obligation 

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.  

The 2022 Member Financial Obligation is $175 for Actives and Provisionals and $120 for Associates and due by November 20, 2022.

Thank you for your financial support of Council of 101 and OMA. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Andrea Balanzategui, Membership Treasurer

407-451-3878 or andreab34567@gmail.com

What You Need to Know About Festival of Trees

Donna Neck, Festival Chair

The Festival of Trees set-up is underway and the committees could use your assistance. If you have a round table or square card table you would be able to lend to 101 from 11/7 to 11/21, email Donna Neck and let her know what day you would be able to drop it off. Please put your name on the bottom of the table and we will ensure it gets back to you after the festival. Thank you! Donnalneck@gmail.com

Set-Up is today through Thursday 8am-5pm.

Parking is free for volunteers.

On Sunday, 11/20, Take down occurs until 9pm - please have your area wrapped up! (At end)

Parking the week of Festival: Be be sure to plan on parking in designated volunteer parking areas,

and please wear your name badge to help out the security personnel at the museum.

Toyland will be open for Council of 101 members and volunteers from 11:00 am to 4:00pm on Friday, November 11th.

This "soft opening" will give the Toyland committee members and volunteers an opportunity to practice using Shopify on the new tablets.

Please come by and get a preview of all the great Christmas ornaments, apparel, gifts, toys, and novelty items we have in the shop this year! 

Sponsorship News

$115,300 and still counting!

This is the the amount of cash sponsorship we have raised so far for Festival of Trees. Nearly every area and event has been sponsored. Be prepared to see a lot more signage during the 10 days of Festival showing all those who have generously donated. Thank you for all the support and hard work in helping hit this number! 

Should you still want attend opening night and get extra sponsor benefits, be sure to check out the “Members Only” special. It is a great way to fulfill you financial obligation. 

If you have made a cash or in-kind donation to the Festival of Trees, sponsor tickets will be ready for pick up on Tuesday, November 8th through November 11th in the Council of 101 office. Starting on November 12th, they will be at the will call table each day of the Festival. Be sure you have completed one of the sponsorship forms online or paper for your donations. 

Links to all the forms below:

Online General Sponsor Form

Deck the Halls Sponsor Form

Silent Auction Sponsor Form

Trees & Vignetttes Sponsor Form

Printable General Sponsor Form

Marketing News

As we prepare for our 36th annual Festival of Trees volunteer shifts don’t forget to take a moment and review the Fast Facts Sheet prepared to provide important facts about Council of 101. Click here to review. 

We have multiple media visits scheduled and there’s even a live show on the books with Fox 35 on Tuesday morning, November 15, with David Martin. Tune in!

Lastly, don’t forget Ugly Sweater Day, during family weekend, on Saturday, November 19th—let’s show our council of 101 member spirit and deck out with our tacky attire!

Jolly judges will be on hand to determine winners as Ugly sweater competitors walk the red carpet,

2:00 pm-4:00 pm. Winners will be announced at

4:00 pm.

For information of if there are questions about marketing and media, contact Carla Bray, VP Marketing & Media.

It's the Final Countdown . . .

Membership News

Calling all Provisionals, Actives and Associates – it is time to fulfill your financial AND your volunteer shift obligations for the Festival of Trees!  It takes everyone to put a fundraiser of this magnitude on.  We have over 1100 shifts that we need to fill to make that happen.  Our by-laws and policies clearly state to remain a member in good standing we need to fulfill the following volunteer shifts during the Festival of Trees which runs from Friday, November 11^th (the Opening Night gala) through the close on Sunday, November 20th:

Provisionals – 3 shifts

Actives – 3 shift

Associates – 2 shifts

Sustainers – (No requirements) Please come

help us too!  We love to see you.

You should have received our Sign-Up Genius which will allow you to pick shift times that work for you.  We have daytime, evening, and weekend shifts. 

SIGN UP GENIUS HERE We especially need help in the first weekend, November 11^th and 12^th  at check in.  Easy way to get it done!

If you are unable to fill your volunteer shifts due to a medical or personal reason, please contact me (Lisa Sheppard, President-Elect) 407-923-2382/lsheppard50@icloud.com to discuss.

Remember when you are doing your shift to wear black pants, white shirts, and your Council of 101 name badge.  Please keep your personal items to a minimum as we cannot be responsible for things that are left in the Council of 101 office. There are a lot of people coming in going during the Festival  of Trees in the office.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Council of 101 Shopping Day and Happy Hour on October 20^th. We made over $750 from your shopping with the 10% back to Council of 101. It was also nice to see all the smiling faces that evening at the Ravenous Pig.  And to our raffle winners – ENJOY!

Our next General Membership Meeting will be on December 8^th at 5 pm – Favorite Things Party with a new twist!  Bring ONE gift ($30 or under) that you would enjoy having yourself.  We will be serving bubbly and light bites to celebrate the accomplishment of another successful Festival of Trees.  

Finally stay tune for our rescheduled Mix and Mingle in January.  See you at the Festival of Trees!

by Lisa Sheppard, President Elect