Please check out this link to the Gainesville Sun and learn more about our new Executive Director, Tony Delisle, PhD:

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20160228/articles/160229775

The Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida’s High School High Tech (HSHT) Program is conducting a fundraiser with Relectrocycle, a company based in Ocala that specializes in refurbishing and recycling electronics.  The fundraiser will run from now until January 2016.  We will be collecting various electronics to help raise money for our summer internship stipends.  Please review the list below to see if you (or family/friends) may have some of these items to donate.  Everything listed can be any age or condition.  We would greatly appreciate any help you could provide!  If you would like to donate or have any questions, please contact HSHT Program Director Melissa Merrill at 352-378-7474 ext. 25.

Laptops (be sure and send the power supply)
Cell Phones
Smart Phones
PDA’s
IPods & MP3 players
Computer components including RAM (memory sticks), Processors, Hard Drive Boards, Motherboards, and other Plug-In boards
(The above items all come from the inside of computer towers, so you can ask for them and then dismantle)
Lithium Ion Batteries from cell phones and Laptops only
Video Games
Digital Cameras
Computer Tape Drives and Unused Media
Brass Band Instruments
Radio and TV Tubes
Computer Towers
Servers
Cables & Cords
Ink & Toner Cartridges
Electric Motors
Lead Batteries
Battery Backups
Flat Screen Monitors and True Flat Screen TVs (LCD, LED, Plasma)
Antique Electronics

THANK YOU!!

The University of Florida Disability Resource Center and the Harn Museum of Art are teaming up to celebrate and reflect on the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act through, ADA Today: Changing Perceptions, an art installation featuring works by students and community members.  Please see the attached document for additional information and if you would like to submit a work of art.

Call for Art

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR WONDERFUL SPONSORS FOR OUR MOST RECENT OCALA OPEN HOUSE!

Golden Flake
Magnolia Animal Hospital
Audibel
Sam’s Club
Great American Cookie Company
Sun Tran
Stevi B’s
Domino’s
Harry’s Seafood
The Lunchbox
Wiseguy’s
Herbalife/Kevin Towles
Ocala Civic Theater
Living Healthy Massage
To Your Health Spa
Sonny’s
Mojo Grill
Firehouse Subs
Carrabba’s Italian Grill

The Board of Directors for the Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida (CILNCF) is pleased to announce the selection of their new Executive Director. After an extensive nationwide search, the CILNCF has found an individual with long-standing community roots and a history of active involvement with local organizations and named Anthony (Tony) T. Delisle, PhD as its new Executive Director.

“Interestingly, although candidates were interviewed from all over the country, the CILNCF was able to take advantage of the incredibly rich pool of talent the Gainesville area has to offer,” said CILNCF Board President Joe Dyke.

Dr. Delisle’s commitment to working with youth and adults with disabilities is a common thread found throughout his educational and professional experience, including his current position as a Post-Doctoral Associate with the University of Florida’s Department of Health Education & Behavior. He has strived to enable individuals to maximize their personal health and to achieve their goals of becoming contributors to society as a whole.

According to Dr. Delisle, part of his desire to become Executive Director for the CILNCF stems from his own experiences in accessing and utilizing disability support services. “I am legally blind. I can testify to the fact that I would not be where I am today (professionally and personally), if it were not for the compassionate and talented professionals who provided me the resources, training, and support I needed to live the type of independent life I desired. To this day, I often find myself… drawing upon their support for guidance and inspiration on how I might be able to return the favor to others, and I strongly believe the CILNCF provides this type of opportunity.”

In addition to his education and work experiences, Dr. Delisle also serves as the chair of the Southwest Advocacy Group (SWAG). In this role, he helps coordinate the efforts of both governmental and non-governmental agencies as well as individual efforts to help improve health, safety and education inequities within Alachua County.

A statement from the Center’s board of directors said, “The board is incredibly proud of what the CIL has become thanks to the hard work and long-time dedication of the CIL staff, Associate Director Amy Feutz, Business Manager Colette Gromoll, and retired Executive Director William Kennedy. We know that Tony will make an excellent addition to the team. The CILNCF is already a strong organization, and we believe that by making Tony a member of the CILNCF family, he and his passion will help it grow into an even stronger entity.”

“I was struck by the passion everyone at the CILNCF has for their job, the incredible talents they possess in performing their duties, and the tight-knit cohesive relationships that exist at the CILNCF,” Dr. Delisle said of his new team. “I am both humbled and honored by the trust the CILNCF has placed in me, and I am fully committed to continuing its great services, bolstering the CILNCF’s profile in our community, advocating for disability rights, and ensuring a long and fruitful future for the CILNCF.”

Dr. Delisle will officially join the CILNCF in mid-August.

For additional information, please contact Amy Feutz, Associate Director at amy@cilncf.org

Embarking on its 80th Anniversary of being a key piece of the Nation’s fabric, Carolyn W. Colvin, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, officially released Vision 2025. The vision will serve as a “North Star” to guide Social Security and show how the agency will accomplish and deliver three key priorities: superior customer experience, exceptional employees, and an innovative organization over the next decade and beyond.

Vision 2025 reflects Social Security’s full commitment—now and in the future—to offering customers choices in how they do business with us. This commitment includes sustaining a field office structure that provides face-to-face service and is responsive to members of the public who need or prefer face-to-face service.

Learn more about Social Security’s Vision 2025

The Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida (CILNCF) is extremely proud to announce that our Executive Director, William Kennedy has been selected as The Able Trust’s 2014 recipient of the Dr. George Spelios Leadership Award.  Also known as the Florida Endowment Foundation for Vocational Rehabilitation, the Able Trust’s mission is to provide Floridians with disabilities opportunities for successful employment.  This award is a recognition of Mr. Kennedy’s many years of advocacy and leadership as a model of excellence to the business and disability communities.

After over 20 years of involvement with the CILNCF, with 14 of those years spent as its Executive Director, Mr. Kennedy has recently announced his retirement.  This award is a wonderful opportunity for the organization to say farewell to Mr. Kennedy and to thank him for many years of dedication to the CILNCF.  Mr. Kennedy’s presence and vision are largely responsible for making the CIL the force for disability rights that it is today.

Those familiar with Mr. Kennedy are aware that he leads the CILNCF consumers and staff by his example.  Mr. Kennedy is a person living with quadriplegia resulting from a spinal cord injury in his youth.  His desire for empowerment and independence led him to the independent living and disability rights movement and its goal to enable all persons with disabilities to fully participate in society.

During his tenure as Executive Director, the CILNCF has faced budget cuts from government grant programs, the unprecedented sequestration funding reductions and changes caused by the downturn in the economy.  Throughout that time, the CILNCF has continued to advocate for and serve people with disabilities in the community of North Florida and indeed has expanded its role wherever possible.  The CILNCF’s enduring success in advocacy and support is due in large part to the perseverance and determination Mr. Kennedy has exhibited throughout his life.

The Able Trust’s 2014 Dr. George Spelios Leadership Award is not only an opportunity for the community to recognize William Kennedy for his many years of service, it is also a chance for the CILNCF Board, Mr. Kennedy and the community as a whole to praise the CILNCF staff for the important work that happens at the Center every day.  The CILNCF will continue to provide their many important services like sign language interpreting, employment services, paratransit support, awareness training, wheelchair ramp construction and their High School High Tech program for teens for many years to come.

For more information, contact CILNCF Business Manager Colette Gromoll (cgromoll@cilncf.org) or Interim Executive Director Amy Tharpe (amy@cilncf.org) or by phone (352) 378-7474.