We hope all the fathers out there are enjoying a wonderful day with their families!
Image Description: Navy blue background on left with royal blue background on the right. There is text on the left side that reads, “The CIL would like to wish a Happy Father’s Day to every father out there!” The CIL logo is at the bottom left and there is an image of an adult and child walking together, holding hands and looking at each other.
Happy Pride Month! The CIL is celebrating to support the LGBTQ+ community in their continued quest to break down barriers! Please check out the attached links for additional information and history about Pride Month, as well as information about The Trevor Project, an organization that provides life-affirming services and counseling to youth who are LGBTQ+. They focus on suicide prevention and offer a 24/7 crisis line specifically for LGBTQ+ youth.
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
https://www.loc.gov/lgbt-pride-month/about/
Image: Dark blue background with four sparkle graphics throughout. Rainbow graphics are at the top left and bottom right with the curved text, “Celebrate Pride” and “Love always wins” in the middle of that text. Center logo is at the bottom left.
The CIL hosted the 4th Annual Marion County Disaster Preparedness Expo on Wednesday May 26th. The theme for this year was about addressing Mental Health needs during COVID and it was a great success! The event featured interactive presentations from experts and various community based organizations and public agencies offering resources to participants. The COVID vaccine was also available to those who wanted it in a fully accessible environment. This year’s event marked the first time many people participated in a community event since the start of COVID and it was clearly uplifting for all those who attended.
Special thanks to all of our generous sponsors, presenters and vendors, who helped make this event possible for people with disabilities in our community. We are truly grateful for your support!
Vendors: APD, Heart of Florida, Ocala Fire, Marion County Sheriff’s Department EOC, Shine/Elder Options, CARD from Gainesville, Ocala Electric, Supervisor of Elections, Champion for Champions, Florida License Bureau and Ocala Police Department.
Presenters: Ocala Police, Chief Balken; Marion County Sheriff’s Department EOC, Robert Sullivan; Supervisor of Elections, Wesley Wilcox; APD, Dr. Kristin Korinko; Department of Health in Marion County, Jessie Driggers.
Many thanks to Kevin Towles and the entire CIL Expo planning committee for all of their hard work devoted towards hosting an event, with all the safe guards needed to keep everyone healthy!
(Image Description: The CIL logo is at the top center and logos of Expo sponsors are to the left, right and at the bottom: Pasta Faire, Herr’s, Developmental Service Trainers, Supervisor of Elections, Ocala Recreation & Parks and APD. Text in the middle reads, “The CIL would like to send a big thank you to our sponsors! For the 2021 Disaster Preparedness Expo.” An image of hands are below the text, surrounding a floating heart.)
Please check out the following CIL calendars below for our June online ILS classes, Self-Advocacy Training, Pre-Placement Training, Youth Social Group and our new Empowering Life Hacks workshops! If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please contact Terri Poucher at 352-378-7474 or tpoucher@cilncf.org. For the Empowering Life Hacks workshops, please contact Linda Butler at 352-378-7474 or lbutler@cilncf.org.
Today we are remembering, honoring and sending much gratitude to all those who have served and sacrificed their lives for our country.
Hurricane season is fast approaching! To get ready, Florida’s hurricane sales tax holiday starts today, May 28th and runs through June 6th. You’ll be able to save money on several essential items needed for storm preparation.
Be sure to visit the link below for a full list of qualifying items!
http://floridarevenue.com/disasterprep
Don’t forget! The 4th Annual Marion County Emergency Preparedness Expo for People with Disabilities is coming up on May 26th. The theme this year is Mental Health in honor of Mental Health Month, and attendees will learn important information about how to prepare for the unexpected. Please check out the flyer for more information!
The CIL would also like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to Herr’s Potato Chips for donating 100 bags of chips for the Marion County Emergency Preparedness Expo! We truly appreciate your generosity and could not do this without your support.
To register for the expo, please go to the following links:
English: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/center-for-independent-living-of-north-certral-fl-16494197787
Please check out the link below for updated COVID-19 accessible materials and videos for people with disabilities, from the Georgia Tech Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation. Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are the primary audience for the videos, but many other individuals, with and without disabilities, may benefit. Feel free to use and share!
Are you prepared for the upcoming hurricane season? On Wednesday, June 2nd from 4pm to 6pm, the CIL Deaf Services of Florida group will be conducting an online workshop all about Emergency Preparedness for individuals who are Deaf. Please check out the flyer below for more information!
Please read below about how your Amazing Give donations continue to make a difference in the lives of our consumers with disabilities!
Hallie is one of our consumers who is very hard working and dedicated. She studied Office Systems at Santa Fe College, and she was looking for office and receptionist type of work.
Our amazing employment services team worked extremely hard to help Hallie secure meaningful employment through the following hands-on and detailed approach:
Resume development – they made sure Hallie had an updated resume, and that it properly reflected her skills, education and work history.
Interview skills development – they worked extensively with Hallie to train and improve her interviewing skills. They reviewed her resume and highlighted all her positive and strong professional qualities, watched interview skills videos, conducted mock interviews and built Hallie’s confidence every time they practiced.
Job search and application – Hallie’s Employment Consultant executed daily job searches and applications, while Hallie also made the same efforts on her own.
Job placement – after going through many job interviews, they were able to help Hallie find work that related exactly to her degree.
Job retention – our team is continuing to check Hallie`s stability at work and her satisfaction with the job. Hallie is always appreciative and thankful for achieving her goal!
We are sending our sincere appreciation and gratitude to Venauto`s management (Mr. Luis) to give Hallie this opportunity and treat her with care and kindness. Thank you so much for giving back to the community!
