Happy Spring! The CIL will be closed on Friday, April 22nd for a Staff Spring Cleaning Day! We will resume our regular business hours on Monday. Please be sure to call us at 352-378-7474 or e-mail cilncf.org@gmail.com with any immediate questions or concerns.
Have a wonderful rest of your day!
We are officially less than 24 hours away from #TheAmazingGive!
For the 7th year in a row, the CIL will be participating in the online community fundraiser, The Amazing Give, on April 21st from 7am to 7pm. Donations raised through this event are an essential part of supporting our organization, and this year we are setting a goal of $10,000 – and we know we can reach it with your help! Your generous donations will go directly towards our Wheelchair Ramp Building Program!
Please consider donating if you are able, and check out our page link below. If you are able to donate, we have an AMAZING Lunch Bunch Match opportunity from 12 – 1pm! On the giving day, all donations will be DOUBLED during that hour, through a very generous $500 matching gift from our awesome sponsor, Infotech, so your donations will make twice the difference! You can also help by spreading the word and sharing on your social media networks!
Additionally, you can help the CIL win an extra prize! Four prizes of $500 will be given throughout the giving day to participating nonprofits mentioned in a post from community supporters using #WhyIGiveGNV on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Tik Tok. The post can contain a video, a photo or a quote. The #WhyIGiveGNV must be used. Paid employees or consultants working at a participating nonprofit are encouraged to participate, however, will not be eligible to win. The post must be on an individual or business profile. This is happening now and ends on April 21st at 7pm.
Thank you so much for your support and helping the CIL reach our goal!
CIL Amazing Give Page Link: https://www.theamazinggive.org/organizations/center-for-independent-living-of-north-central-florida
Image description: Light blue background with a green, rectangular sign in the middle of the graphic. The event and time are written inside of the green sign and the Community Foundation logo is inside of a white rectangle below it. The CIL logo is in the bottom right corner.
The CILNCF recently received some heartbreaking news. Sadly, our sweet Delma lost her long-fought battle with Sickle Cell last week. She was part of our CIL family for just over 3 years. Delma had a kind and caring heart, and provided excellent service to our consumers, our ADA Paratransit Program and the CIL as a whole.
Delma was incredibly dedicated and always went above and beyond to help in any way she could for our consumers in need. While working from home, especially during the height of the pandemic, Delma often called consumers while lying down due to severe fatigue, or even worked on her laptop at lengthy doctor’s appointments.
Delma was an integral part of our CIL family, and it will never be the same without her. All of us here at the CIL are sending many thoughts and prayers to her family during this very difficult time. It is hard for us to imagine that we will not see her wonderful smile and demeanor, or hear her soft-spoken voice and caring words. We will miss you dearly Delma!
Image is a picture of Delma sitting in her office behind her desk, wearing a grey, short-sleeved top. She is holding up a massage certificate that she won in a raffle on our Staff Appreciation Day during the summer of 2019.
Happy Easter Greetings from the CIL!
Just sending a friendly April reminder that the Florida Association of Centers for Independent Living (FACIL) is still accepting applications for the James Patrick Memorial Work Incentive Personal Assistant Services and Employment Assistance (JP-PAS) Program!
The JP-PAS Program truly changes lives by providing monthly stipends to qualified Floridians with disabilities who are employed and require personal assistance services for daily living. If you or anyone you know would benefit from this amazing program or if you would like to learn more, please visit http://www.floridacils.org/pca-services-program!
Image description: Purple background with the top of the image reading: “The JP-PAS Personal Attendant Services and Employment Assistance Program” in large dark blue lettering. In the bottom center of the graphic, there is a picture of a man in a wheelchair smiling, and he is in the middle of a baseball field, with the scoreboard behind him in the distance. He is wearing an orange polo with a nametag and a black baseball cap. The FACIL logo is in the center of the graphic on the left side and the JP-PAS logo is in the center on the right side. In between them is the program’s website, written in the above paragraph.
The CIL is continuing to highlight one of our programs each month, in honor of our 40th year. For the month of April we are highlighting none other than our Wheelchair Ramp Building Program!
Check out our recent posts for success stories from consumers of this program as we gear up for The Amazing Give next week! And click the link below to listen to Executive Director, Tony Delisle, and Wheelchair Ramp Core Manager, Mark Brisbane, discuss the program’s legacy on the CILNCF podcast, The Independent Life!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2BnE6jsDZRShxlkr2PdgDO?si=UJwTwVZvQcWUNpw_H2xaDw
Background is purple and blue gradient with confetti lining the top and CIL Logo in bottom left corner wearing a party hat. Heading in top center reads: “April Highlight: Wheelchair Ramp Program” in large, capitalized, white font. Below is a collage of overlaying images of past wheelchair ramps and volunteers.
The Amazing Give will be here soon on Thursday, April 21st from 7am to 7pm! All donations will be used towards our Wheelchair Ramp Building Program and will make a difference in so many lives! Please show your support by sharing the CIL’s page link with your networks and donating if you are able:
CIL Amazing Give Donation Page
We are very happy to announce a Lunch Bunch Match opportunity during The Amazing Give! Thanks to a $500 match from our generous sponsor, Infotech, all donations made from 12 – 1pm on April 21st will be DOUBLED! If you are planning to donate, and would like to make even more of a difference, please consider donating during this time!
Thank you for your support and stay tuned for more updates!
Image description: Pink, orange, and yellow background with the words “The Amazing Give” written in bold white letters in the center of the graphic. The date for the event, April 21st 2022 7 am – 7 pm” is written underneath it, followed by “save the date!”. The Community Foundation logo is in the bottom left corner and the CIL logo is in the bottom right corner.
Today marks 3 WEEKS before The Amazing Give! Read below to learn about the impact of the CIL’s Wheelchair Ramp Building Program in the Gainesville community.
A couple of years ago, Ms. Hill was unable to leave her home as she had no ramp access for her wheelchair. Ms. Hill struggles with balance issues and needs a wheelchair to remain mobile. Oftentimes, the unsafe instability of her back porch would cause her to fall and hurt herself, accumulating bruises and scrapes all over her body.
The CIL Wheelchair Ramp Building Program was able to provide a ramp for Ms. Hill, along with many other residents in the area. The convenience of having a wheelchair ramp in her backyard helped her feel less isolated and more independent in her own home, facts that bring the CIL a lot of pride. We want to continue being able to provide our community with safer ways in and out of their homes and with your help during The Amazing Give, we can fund several wheelchair ramp builds.
Check out our Amazing Give donation page to see where your donation dollars will go, by clicking on the link below!
https://www.theamazinggive.org/organizations/center-for-independent-living-of-north-central-florida
Image Description: Light pink background with the CIL logo in the bottom left corner. In the top left corner is an image of the entrance to Ms. Hill’s home, with text reading “Before” and a hot pink arrow pointing to the picture. In the bottom right corner is a larger image of the entrance to Ms. Hill’s home, this time with a wheelchair ramp, with text reading “After” and a hot pink arrow pointing to the picture.
Recently, the Knights of Columbus Council 9649 from Queen of Peace Catholic Church, donated a brand-new manual wheelchair to the CIL’s Ocala satellite office for our Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Loan program. We are so grateful for this partnership and to have received this much needed gift. Special thanks to the Knights of Columbus for helping the CIL make our DME Loan program even stronger!
Image Description: Picture shows Ocala Satellite Office Manager Andrea Melvin receiving the wheelchair from Grand Knight Cary Melvin; they are both smiling, shaking hands and standing behind the wheelchair. Andrea is to the left wearing a short-sleeved, royal blue top with black slacks, and Cary is to the right wearing a long-sleeved, blue and white checkered oxford shirt with black pants.
Save the date and spread the word!
The Amazing Give is the CIL’s biggest giving day of the year, taking place on April 21st from 7am to 7pm.
Our fundraising goal this year is $10,000 and all donations will be put towards our Wheelchair Ramp Building Program. This is one of our programs that has been hit the hardest during the pandemic.
Please consider donating through our Amazing Give platform, and help us continue to make a difference for these families in need of a ramp to access their home and community!
Stay tuned for more information and Wheelchair Ramp Building success stories leading up to the event!
Image Description: Solid black background with colorful star shaped confetti shooting upwards and all over the graphic. The Amazing Give logo is at the top in a white box that states the name, date and time of The Amazing Give. “Save the Date” is written in white text in a red, rectangular shape that spans all the way from the left to the right, and “Join Us for a Day of Giving” is written below in black text in a white, rectangular shape just below.
Our condolences go out to the family of Stephen Hardy. Stephen passed away on Saturday, January 8th and was a friend and former board member of the Center. He was a huge advocate for people with disabilities, especially for people who are deaf. Stephen was very influential in the Deaf community and taught Deaf studies at the University of Florida. He will be missed by many in the community including his students at UF. Our thoughts go out to his family at this difficult time.
Please click on the UF link below to learn more about Stephen Hardy: