This past month, our Community Specialist, Sada Ahmed, went to Lake City to collect a Durable Medical Equipment (DME) donation from a community member named Bonnie. The haul included wheelchairs, canes, crutches, and a number of spare parts. When Bonnie purchased her home, these items had been left behind in the shed. We are grateful that she got connected with us at CILNCF to help find this DME a new home!

The CILNCF DME Closet provides wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches, scooters and sliding boards. If you or someone you know is in need of any DME supplies to assist with their independent living, please call Sada at 352-378-7474 or e-mail her at sahmed@cilncf.org for more information.

Have a holly jolly time at the CIL! Please check out our latest December calendar of online activities! On Tuesday, the Youth Leadership and Social Group runs from 3:30 PM-5:00 PM. On Wednesday, Independence Hacks (ILS) runs from 10:30 AM-12:00 PM. Everything can be reached on Zoom through the meeting ID: 352 378 7474 and password: cilclass. If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please contact Terri Poucher at 352-378-7474 or tpoucher@cilncf.org. We hope to see you there!

This month the CIL Independent Living Skills (ILS) team gathered and bagged craft items for the December ILS groups. During December, we always focus on “Giving of Ourselves” and once our consumers get the crafts made and wrapped, they will have some handmade gifts to give to others for the holiday season. Special Thanks to our ILS Coordinator Terri Poucher for organizing this great activity for our consumers!

The CIL is so thankful for each and every one of you! Wishing you and your families a very Safe, Healthy and Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Thanksgiving Baskets Program with Trinity Missions was a great success again this year! The CIL was able to provide 20 Thanksgiving Baskets to our consumers and their families who needed some extra help to enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. We are so thankful for our continued partnership with Trinity Missions! They coordinate this amazing program and make all of this possible not just for the CIL, but for so many other agencies in our community!

The Florida Association of Centers for Independent Living (FACIL) is accepting applications for the James Patrick Memorial Work Incentive Personal Assistant Services program (JPPAS). The JPPAS program provides monthly stipends to qualified Floridians with disabilities who require personal assistance services for daily living.

JR Harding, Author, Speaker and Advocate, has been utilizing JPPAS for years. Read JR’s comment below about his experience utilizing JPPAS!

“Working, contributing to the community, and supporting my family is the most powerful way I have found to free myself from the “feeling” of being disabled. The JPPAS workforce incentive program helps me recruit, train, and retain personal care assistants (PCA’s). Without these dedicated individuals, I could not work, make a difference, and/or support my family. Thank you!”

Check out the links to learn more about the program and the application!

https://www.floridacils.org/JPPASOverview.html

http://www.floridacils.org/pca-services-program

The CIL wants our consumers to Stay Smart and Stay Safe when it comes to using their cell phones! Join our CIL Youth Leadership and Social Group for a discussion on cell phone safety and safe practices for cell phone use. We can’t wait to see you there! 

Zoom username: 3523787474
Passcode: cilclass

Please check out our latest September calendar of online activities!

On Tuesday, Youth Social Group runs from 3:30 PM-5:00 PM. On Wednesday, Independence Hacks (ILS) runs from 10:30 AM-12:00 PM. Everything can be reached on Zoom through the meeting ID: 352 378 7474 and password: cilclass.

If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please contact Terri Poucher at 352-378-7474 or tpoucher@cilncf.org. We hope to see you there!

We wanted to give a big shout out to Kevin and Grace in our Ocala office for all of their hard work with expanding our essential item and food distribution program! On average, 100 people with disabilities per month are receiving essential food items in Marion County. Special thanks to First Step Food Bank and His Compassion Food Bank for partnering with the CIL and helping us serve our consumers in need during the pandemic!

This past Friday, in partnership with Florida Health, Marion County, the CIL was able to assist our Deaf community with receiving their first dose of COVID-19 shots! Special thanks to our CIL team of Colleen, Kevin & Ken for working hard and making this happen for our consumers. If you are in the Deaf community and would like to learn more, please call Colleen Metcalf on the VP at 352-414-1833.