2013 was a great year for the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce thanks to the support of our members and the tireless effort of our volunteers and board of directors. I wanted to especially thank our board chair, Daniel Butts, with Battaglia Group Management, for his leadership and commitment to the chamber.
In addition to hosting successful events like the Taste of Winter Park, Autumn Art Festival and Christmas Parade, the chamber, through our philanthropic initiatives, was able to raise over $16,000 for the Welbourne Avenue Nursery and Kindergarten, $20,000 for local elementary schools, $2,500 for BETA Center and $10,000 for scholarships for Leadership Winter Park and Youth Leaders. This year the Winter Park Chamber also helped lead the first-of-its-kind, community-wide effort to raise funds for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. With partners Rollins College, Sodexo, the City of Winter Park and Think Creative, as well as sponsors Winter Park Memorial Hospital, Mayflower Retirement Community and Florida Distributing, and many community champions we were able to raise $96,140 to help end hunger in our community!
This month, we kick off the year with two wonderful events. On January 17, we will host the State of the City Luncheon, and on January 24 we celebrate at our annual Membership Awards Gala. Presented by CenturyLink and Kuykendall Gardner Insurance, the gala will allow us to recognize the many contributions from our members, volunteers and board of directors. We will also be honoring the late Lydia Gardner with a very special tribute and by renaming, in her honor, the Citizen of the Year Award.
The New Year brings a sense of optimism and excitement at the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce. 2014 is set to be another busy and productive year for us. On behalf of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, we hope you have a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
January Events
January 17
State of the City Luncheon
The Alfond Inn
11:30 a.m.
January 24
Membership Awards Celebration
Full Sail Live
6 p.m.