Toward the beginning of December, CIL staff were able to gather together in person at our Staff Appreciation Luncheon for the first time in three years! Our CIL team had a wonderful time participating in a variety of holiday games, including a spirited game of White Elephant, enjoyed some savory and sweet treats at a much deserved catered lunch, and supported team members who achieved their milestone awards this year. A few of our CIL board members were also able to join us for lunch, as well as an old staff member who recently retired! It felt so good for all of us to be together again and celebrating all that we have accomplished this past year at the CIL!

All of us here at the CIL would like to wish you a joyous and peaceful holiday season, and all the best in the new year! These last few years have been difficult and challenging, however, because of your continued dedicated and generous support, the CIL served over 2,700 people with disabilities this past year! We are so grateful for all who have supported us this past year and throughout our 41 years. It is because of you that we are able to make such a difference in the lives of our consumers and we could not be more thankful. Cheers to the new year and all that it will bring!

CIL would like to thank the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program, for all they do to make kids dreams come true for the holidays!

CIL has been partnered with this fantastic group for many years now. However, this year they (and Major Dennis Wait) were exceptional! They worked with the CIL to provide toys for 24 families with disabilities and that totaled 57 kids! By the time CIL staff had picked out the allowed number of gifts for each child and the family, plus 5 bikes, there were so many bags of toys, we were not sure how we would get it all back to the CIL. Major Wait was amazing and said they could deliver them for us! They helped us load everything into their trailer, brought it all to the CIL and then unloaded it as well!

We cannot thank them enough for making this wonderful process so painless and beneficial to so many!!!  Thank you also to our generous CIL staff members who were able to take time out of their day to play Santa for our families in need!

For December, ILS has once again made, “Giving of Ourselves” the theme this month.  We spend a couple of weeks making crafts to give to others as gifts. We have a “wrap” party where we wrap the things we made. Consumers take them home and have gifts they made to give others. Then we enjoy some fun – pizza, games and they all get a little something for themselves from the CIL.

It was chilly and packed with the holiday spirit in Dixie County earlier this month! Kevin Towles, Consumer Specialist in our Ocala office, ventured out for the 2^nd Annual Christmas in Dixie event, on December 16th, to spread the word about the CIL, our services, and all that we can offer to the community.  There were over 200 attendees who braved the cold weather and enjoyed the event.  Special thanks to Kevin for his continued dedication to the CIL and tabling at these seasonal community events.  Every event we attend helps us reach even more individuals in the rural counties we serve. 

The CIL tabled at this very popular community event in Ocala – Light Up Ocala, which is a longstanding community tradition to kick off the holidays that attracts thousands to downtown Ocala. This year marks the 38th anniversary of the holiday merry making event! Light Up Ocala had over 100 vendors including crafts, art and plenty of food options to choose from! Live entertainment filled the air with festive sounds and an interactive kids zone kept the whole family entertained. 

Kevin Towles, Brandon Palermo and Lucinda Haile (with the Ocala CIL) was at the Light up Ocala on November 19th. They passed out info about CILNCF and talked to old consumers, new consumers, giving out info about CILNCF and helping others. With the cold weather and getting around the event, it was the best time that everyone had in a long time!

The holiday season has officially arrived and the CIL is so grateful! We are so excited that in-person classes have been BACK at the CIL, so please join us this December! We are still offering one online class per week for those of you who prefer that option.

Independence Hacks (ILS) classes will be on Tuesdays in Ocala, Wednesdays on Zoom, and Thursdays in Gainesville. All classes will be from 10:30am – 12pm.

Youth Leadership and Social Group classes are still on Tuesdays from 3:30-5pm. So far, they will continue to be conducted online until further notice.

For every online class, the meeting username is 352-378-7474 and the password is cilclass!

Please be sure to share this with anyone who would like to participate, and contact Terri Poucher at 352-378-7474 or tpoucher@cilncf.org with any questions. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Please join us for a training event at the CIL in Ocala on Tuesday, December 6th, at 9:45 am! The CIL, in collaboration with Thera-mate AND Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology will be providing a training on Thera-Mate Pro, which helps those with limited mobility better take care of themselves and their hygiene needs.

Please call (352) 368-3788 to reserve a seat, space is limited!

DATE: Tuesday December 6th, 2022 at 9:45 am

LOCATION: The Center for Independent Living
2760 SE 17th Street, Suite 300 Ocala, FL 34471

The CIL wishes everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you are able to spend quality time with family and friends! These last few years have been extremely challenging for everyone, and we are so very grateful for all of YOU, our amazing CIL consumers, board and staff, our generous donors, loyal volunteers, and wonderful community partnerships. We are so thankful for the opportunity to continue to work and grow together for people with disabilities in our community! Enjoy the holiday!

Gobble Gobble! Thanks to Trinity Missions, and our amazing partnership, the CIL was able to continue to provide 20 Thanksgiving baskets for our consumers in need this holiday season! Frozen turkeys were BACK too and we could not be more grateful! Special thanks to Trinity Missions and all you continue to do for our community, especially during the holidays!