News

🍂 Happy Thanksgiving from All of Us at the CIL! 🍂

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This season of gratitude gives us the perfect opportunity to say thank you to everyone who makes our work possible.

To our consumers: Thank you for allowing us to be part of your journey. Your determination and resilience inspire us every day.

To our staff: Your unwavering commitment and hard work create the foundation of the services and support we provide.

To our donors and volunteers: Your generosity and time make a world of difference, ensuring we can continue to serve our community and advocate for independence.

To our community partners: Your collaboration helps us amplify our impact, creating a more inclusive and accessible world for everyone.

Together, we make a difference, and we’re so thankful for each and every one of you. Here’s to continuing our work to empower and uplift our community.

Wishing you a warm, safe, and joyful Thanksgiving! 🍁

The image features a cheerful Thanksgiving design. On the left side, there is a cartoon turkey with a round body, bright orange and red feathers, a yellow beak, and a red wattle, peeking out from the edge of the image. The text "Happy Thanksgiving" is displayed in large, colorful, gradient letters in shades of orange, yellow, and brown. At the bottom right corner, the logo for the Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida is visible, along with the tagline "Empowering Individuals with Disabilities." The background is a light beige color, adding a warm and festive feel.
ID: The image features a cheerful Thanksgiving design. On the left side, there is a cartoon turkey with a round body, bright orange and red feathers, a yellow beak, and a red wattle, peeking out from the edge of the image. The text “Happy Thanksgiving” is displayed in large, colorful, gradient letters in shades of orange, yellow, and brown. At the bottom right corner, the logo for the Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida is visible, along with the tagline “Empowering Individuals with Disabilities.” The background is a light beige color, adding a warm and festive feel.

Halloween Festivities!

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It’s been a whirlwind of a season here at the Center for Independent Living! We’ve been hard at work supporting our consumers and their goals, but we’re finally taking a moment to share some highlights from our Halloween Wellness Event with all of you.

The image shows a group of nine people dressed in festive and creative Halloween costumes, standing in a bright and cheerful room decorated for the occasion. The costumes include a pumpkin, a wizard, a strawberry, a pink dinosaur, and others, showcasing a variety of vibrant colors and themes. The group is smiling and posing together, creating a fun and lively atmosphere. Behind them is a wall-mounted TV displaying a Halloween scene with trees and a darkened sky, adding to the spooky theme. The floor is wood-paneled, and there are Halloween decorations like hanging orange paper balls in the room. At the bottom of the image, there is a white frame with blue edges, featuring the text: "WELLNESS: Halloween Festivities!"
The image shows a group of nine people dressed in festive and creative Halloween costumes, standing in a bright and cheerful room decorated for the occasion. The costumes include a pumpkin, a wizard, a strawberry, a pink dinosaur, and others, showcasing a variety of vibrant colors and themes. The group is smiling and posing together, creating a fun and lively atmosphere. Behind them is a wall-mounted TV displaying a Halloween scene with trees and a darkened sky, adding to the spooky theme. The floor is wood-paneled, and there are Halloween decorations like hanging orange paper balls in the room. At the bottom of the image, there is a white frame with blue edges, featuring the text: “WELLNESS: Halloween Festivities!”

Throughout October, our staff showed off their creative side with a spooktacular door decorating contest, transforming our offices into a haunted hallway of fun. On Halloween Day, the festivities continued as staff came dressed in amazing costumes for our costume contest and enjoyed a delicious spread of fruit, crackers, dips, and, of course, sweet treats galore! 🍬🍎

We’re thrilled to announce the winners of both contests, who took home frightfully good prizes, including vacation time! 🎉 A huge congratulations to everyone who participated in the fun — your costumes were BOO-tiful, and the decorated doors were absolutely FANG-tastic.

🎃 DOOR DECORATING:
1st Place: The Coco themed door (Linda)
2nd Place: The Happy Halloweenie door (Colleen)
3rd Place: The spookiest by far door (Sada)

This door is themed to the Disney movie, Coco, and Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The door is covered in royal blue paper, with the main character, a boy named Miguel, painted as a skeleton, dressed in a pink hoodie and blue pants. He is crossing over a yellow bridge to find his great great grandfather in the Land of the Dead. Brightly colored paper flowers (orange, yellow, and blue) are placed around the top and sides of the door. Above the door, there are colorful papel picado banners, which are traditional Mexican decorative paper cutouts. Next to the door, on the floor to the left, there is a skeleton figure (representing Miguel’s great great grandfather) seated on a small bench, dressed in a brown hat, black vest and brown shorts, holding a white guitar, with a pot of marigold flowers to the left. At the bottom of the image, there is a white frame with purple edges, featuring the text: "1st Place: Linda, Coco themed door"
This door has a brown background, and at the top, a sign reads, "Happy Halloweenie!" in orange bubble letters in a small white border. The main feature of the door is a large yellow moon centered on the upper half of the door, against which two dachshunds are "flying" on broomsticks, wearing black witch hats and dressed as witches. Two small black bats are attached to the moon. Colorful paper bats in orange, purple, pink, and green, each with a small, cute face, are scattered across the door, surrounding the moon, and green stars are also sprinkled around the door. Toward the bottom of the door, to the left, there is a large, bright green skeleton with a playful expression, positioned as if dancing, with a small orange pumpkin at its feet. Next to the skeleton to the right, a textured, 3D orange pumpkin face with big googly eyes, a surprised expression, and a green stem, peeks out. At the bottom of the image, there is a white frame with light green edges, featuring the text: "2nd Place: Colleen, HAPPY HALLOWEENIE DOOR"
The backdrop of this door is a red fabric with a black print. The print has a cat eye shape and diamonds, almost looking like a wall of eyes. There is a red, ruffled strip of fabric at the top of the door with a grey pattern that resembles chicken wire. There is a white ribbon with a black raven print that cuts the door into thirds diagonally in the direction of a forward slash; the lower end is on the left and the higher end is on the right. Orange string lights with white wiring line the top of the door and swoop halfway down the door. The swoop of lights is secured in the top middle of the door, forming two oblong shapes along the top half of the door. From the top string of lights, within each oblong shape, is a hanging item. On the left is a creepy, old hand mirror which is white with a chipped orange material around the mirror. On the right is a plastic knife with a grey blade and a black handle with a skull at the end. Betwixt the hanging items, sits a grey ghostly face with glowing blue eyes, attached to the upper middle of the door. The ghostly face is wearing a red and black sequined masquerade mask. Black stringy fabric is used to make an outline of a body. The fabric is fanned out on the sides of the 'body,' swooping up and attaching to the string lights, to appear like wide hanging sleeves. The bottom half of the oblong shapes made out of string lights is covered by the 'arms' and glow through them. A black bat obscures the door handle and moves up and down, as if to fly, when the door is opened. At the bottom of the image, there is a white frame with blue edges, featuring the text: "3rd Place: Sada, SPOOKIEST DOOR"

🧛‍♂️ FAVORITE COSTUMES:
1st Place: Cammeron dressed as an Egyptian Pharaoh
2nd Place: A tie between Ashlyn dressed as a Strawberry and Sada as Ms. Fizzle
3rd Place: Lauren dressed as Medusa

Cammeron dressed as an Egyptian Pharaoh with a black and gold costume. He is wearing a black and gold striped headpiece and collar, black sleeveless top, black and gold bottom with belt, a gold cape, gold arm cuffs, black and grey socks and black tennis shoes. At the bottom of the image, there is a white frame with purple edges, featuring the text: "1st Place: Cammeron, Egyptian Pharaoh"
Sada dressed as Ms. Frizzle, a science teacher from the Magic School Bus. She is wearing a very curly, short red wig, long sleeve purple dress with white stars, yellow moon, yellow sun and colorful planets sprinkled throughout, colorful black socks and white tennis shoes with rainbow colors. She is holding the class pet, a green lizard named Liz. At the bottom of the image, there is a white frame with light blue edges, featuring the text: "2nd Place: Sada, Ms. Frizzle"
Ashlyn dressed as a Strawberry, and is wearing a red, long sleeved sweater top that has decorations of yellow seeds and a green leaf collar, a light green bucket hat, light blue pants, pink socks, black Mary Jane shoes and a purse that looks like a carton of strawberry milk. At the bottom of the image, there is a white frame with light green edges, featuring the text: "2nd Place: Ashlyn, Strawberry"
Lauren dressed as Medusa. She is wearing a huge and very tall gold snake headband, gold snake necklace, snake print, sleeveless dress, black leggings and black flats. She also had black smudges on her face, chest and arms. At the bottom of the image, there is a white frame with turquoise edges, featuring the text: "3rd Place: Lauren, Medusa"

Thank you to our incredible team for making the day special, and we hope everyone had a safe and wonderful Halloween season. Now… bring on the holiday cheer! 🌟✨

ID: Image descriptions are provided in the Alt Text for each image respectively.

Happy Fall Birthdays!

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Wow, we seem to say this every year, but where has the time gone?? We are still behind with sharing our past birthday celebrations, but we figure it’s better to spread the happiness now, rather than never!

Please join us in saying a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to CIL staff members who celebrated birthdays in August, September and October! We hope you all had wonderful birthdays celebrating YOU!

NIUSHA – August 1st
AMY – August 4th
TONY – August 4th (not pictured)
AMMAL – August 8th (not pictured)
LINDA – August 12th
TERRI – August 18th
DESTINI – August 23rd
MARK – August 31st
LUCINDA – September 4th
LAUREN – October 26th (not pictured)

ID: Image description provided in the Alt Text for each photo, respectively.

Image features the CIL’s August birthdays. Staff are sitting together at a table in the Gainesville activity room. From left to right are Amy, Destini, Mark, Linda and Niusha. Amy and Destini are holding up chocolate frosted cupcakes with a lit candle in each. There are additional lit vanilla frosted cupcakes sitting on the table in front of each staff member. The image is overlaid with text that reads “Happy Birthday” in elegant font, and the name “CIL Gainesville” is placed below in smaller text. The bottom of the image is tinted with a greenish gradient.
Image features our September birthday. Lucinda is standing in the Ocala activity room, holding up her pineapple dream pie. There is a whiteboard behind her that reads, “Happy Birthday Lucinda!” in black ink, with a smiling sun that has been drawn in red ink in the upper right corner. The image is overlaid with text that reads “Happy Birthday” in elegant font, and the name “Lucinda” is placed below in smaller text. The bottom of the image is tinted with a blue gradient.
Image is a picture of Terri standing in the Ocala activity room. She is holding up her birthday spinach dip and broccoli salad. There is a whiteboard behind her that reads, “Happy Terri Appreciation Day!” in red ink. A smiling sun has also been drawn in red ink in the upper right corner. The image is overlaid with text that reads “Happy Birthday” in elegant font, and the name “Terri” is placed below in smaller text. The bottom of the image is tinted with a purple gradient.

TODAY Nov. 15th 12p – 5p: Accessible Vaccine Clinic

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Come join us for resources and fall fun as you protect yourself against sickness this holiday season!

In collaboration with Disability Rights Florida, the CIL is hosting an upcoming free, accessible vaccine clinic that will be held at the Center on Friday, November 15th, from 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. CVS will be providing flu and COVID-19 vaccines to those with insurance, and UF Health will be present to provide health screenings and flu vaccines for those who do not have insurance. If you or someone you know intends to utilize MV transportation to attend the clinic, please alert us so that we can coordinate covering the cost. Additionally, for those who participate, Disability Rights Florida is providing an amazing giveaway of emergency backpacks! Contents include: Food Bars, Emergency Water Pouches, Water Purification Tablets, Emergency Whistle/Compass, Emergency Stove, Fuel Tablets, Canteen Cup, Dust Face Cover, 36 Piece First Aid Kit, Waterproof Match Kit, Playing Cards, Battery-Free Flashlight, Tissue Pack, Emergency Blanket, Rain Poncho and Antiseptic Wipes. We look forward to seeing you there!

ID: Image descriptions for both the Vaccine Flyer and Vaccine Backpack Flyer are embedded into the ALT Text for both images, respectively.

An autumn themed beige flyer with fall leaves scattered around displays pertinent information about a vaccine clinic. The logo for the Aging & Disability Vaccination Collaborative is displayed on the top left, followed by the CILNCF logo in the center and the Disability Rights Florida logo in the top right.  Bold letters stating, “ACCESSIBLE VACCINE CLINIC” are placed in the center of the flyer below the logos. Under this title, there is a banner that states, “Covid-19 and Flu Shots, November 15th, 2024, 12:00 – 5:00 p.m.” Under this, on the left side of the flyer there is a location pin logo with the words, “Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida, 222 SW 36th Terrace, Gaiensville, FL, 32607” next to it. Below this, text stating, “Options available for those with and without insurance. Please bring your insurance card if you have one!” is placed. On the right hand side of the flyer there is a text box bordered by fall leaves outlining the words, “Join us for resources and fall fun as you protect yourself against sickness this holiday season.” Below this, there is a colorful syringe and bottle holding vaccination content within it. The American Sign Language Interpreter logo is displayed on the bottom left with the words, “ASL interpreters provided. Connect with us for any other accommodations. Phone: (352) 378 – 7474, VP: (352) 240 – 3079, Email: amichael@cilncf.org. At the base of the flyer, the text, “This publication is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)) through USAging as part of a financial assistance award to USAging totaling $74,999,835 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official view of, nor an endorsement, by USAging, ACL/ HHS.” is placed. 
Flyer has a white background with the Disability Rights Florida logo at the top.  Below the logo, is brick red lettering that reads, “Backpack Giveaway”.  Below that to the right, there is a picture of the red and grey backpack, with black straps and the Disability Rights Florida logo.  To the left of the backpack graphic, it reads, “What’s Inside?” and below that is a list of contents, mentioned in the caption above.   

ILS Activities: Halloween Fun!

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We had an absolute blast at our recent Halloween event for our Independent Living Skills (ILS) class! Consumers showed up dressed to impress in all sorts of creative costumes, from adorable animals to spooky characters. The room was filled with laughter, excitement, and a whole lot of Halloween spirit!

First up was Halloween BINGO, where everyone played for sweet prizes (🍬 candy of their choice!). The competition was fierce, but the smiles were even bigger. Then, the fun continued as we decorated sugar cookies with black frosting and spooky sprinkles. It was all about creating—and tasting—something special! 🎨🍪

Thank you to our ILS Coordinator, Terri, for putting together such a fun event! We love creating opportunities for consumers to connect, learn, and build skills in a supportive community. These ILS classes are more than just learning—they’re about finding ways to live fully, advocate for yourself, and be part of a community that’s here for you every step of the way.

If you missed out, don’t worry! We’ve got plenty more fun and empowering ILS events coming up, so stay tuned and join us next time.

This image shows a group of people dressed in a variety of Halloween costumes, gathered together in a decorated room with a festive, spider-web-covered tablecloth. There are decorations on the wall, including a ghost cutout and other Halloween-themed items. The costumes range from animal onesies to characters like a Minion, a princess with a tiara, a person dressed in a “Hocus Pocus” shirt, a skeleton, a superhero, and others. The group is smiling and posing together, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Thank You, Veterans!

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This Veteran’s Day, we extend our deepest gratitude to all Veterans for their service and sacrifice. At the CIL, we’re honored to support Veterans with disabilities through a variety of essential services tailored to meet their needs, including Employment assistance, Wheelchair Ramp Building, Advocacy, and Housing support.

We’re here to empower Veterans to live independently and thrive in their communities. If you or someone you know could benefit from these services, visit our website at www.cilncf.org to learn more about how we can help. Thank you for your service, Veterans — today and every day.

The image is a digital graphic with a white background framed by a blue border. At the top, in small, blue, uppercase text, it says, “The Center for Independent Living.” Below this, in large, bold red uppercase letters, it reads, “A Salute to Our Veterans.” Underneath this line, there is a thin red horizontal line. At the bottom of the image, in small blue text, it says, “We are grateful for your service and sacrifice.”

A Visit From Mayor of Ocala, Ben Marciano!

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The Ocala CIL had a special visitor this past week! We had the honor of hosting the Mayor of Ocala, Ben Marciano, at our Satellite Office this past Thursday, November 7th! He learned all about Centers for Independent Living and the Independent Living Movement, as well as our local Ocala CIL and all that we do for people with disabilities in the Ocala area. Our staff were able to ask questions and learn a little bit more about the Mayor, as well as discuss possible community partnerships to help get the word out about our CIL! It was a great day for staff to showcase all of the hard work we do each and every day to empower people with disabilities to live as independently as possible. Thank you Mayor Marciano for taking the time out of your very busy day to visit our Center, meet our team and learn more about our programs offered to people with disabilities in the community you serve!

A group picture of the Ocala team and Ben Marciano, standing outside of the Ocala office by the CIL sign with logo.
The Ocala team and Mayor Ben Marciano sitting around a large table listening to a CIL presentation given by Andrea Melvin, Ocala Satellite Office Manager.

Accessible Vaccine Clinic: Nov. 15th, 2024 | 12p – 5p

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Come join us for resources and fall fun as you protect yourself against sickness this holiday season!

In collaboration with Disability Rights Florida, the CIL is hosting an upcoming free, accessible vaccine clinic that will be held at the Center on Friday, November 15th, from 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. CVS will be providing flu and COVID-19 vaccines to those with insurance, and UF Health will be present to provide health screenings and flu vaccines for those who do not have insurance. If you or someone you know intends to utilize MV transportation to attend the clinic, please alert us so that we can coordinate covering the cost. Additionally, for those who participate, Disability Rights Florida is providing an amazing giveaway of emergency backpacks! Contents include: Food Bars, Emergency Water Pouches, Water Purification Tablets, Emergency Whistle/Compass, Emergency Stove, Fuel Tablets, Canteen Cup, Dust Face Cover, 36 Piece First Aid Kit, Waterproof Match Kit, Playing Cards, Battery-Free Flashlight, Tissue Pack, Emergency Blanket, Rain Poncho and Antiseptic Wipes. We look forward to seeing you there!

ID: Image descriptions for both the Vaccine Flyer and Vaccine Backpack Flyer are embedded into the ALT Text for both images, respectively.

An autumn themed beige flyer with fall leaves scattered around displays pertinent information about a vaccine clinic. The logo for the Aging & Disability Vaccination Collaborative is displayed on the top left, followed by the CILNCF logo in the center and the Disability Rights Florida logo in the top right.  Bold letters stating, “ACCESSIBLE VACCINE CLINIC” are placed in the center of the flyer below the logos. Under this title, there is a banner that states, “Covid-19 and Flu Shots, November 15th, 2024, 12:00 – 5:00 p.m.” Under this, on the left side of the flyer there is a location pin logo with the words, “Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida, 222 SW 36th Terrace, Gaiensville, FL, 32607” next to it. Below this, text stating, “Options available for those with and without insurance. Please bring your insurance card if you have one!” is placed. On the right hand side of the flyer there is a text box bordered by fall leaves outlining the words, “Join us for resources and fall fun as you protect yourself against sickness this holiday season.” Below this, there is a colorful syringe and bottle holding vaccination content within it. The American Sign Language Interpreter logo is displayed on the bottom left with the words, “ASL interpreters provided. Connect with us for any other accommodations. Phone: (352) 378 – 7474, VP: (352) 240 – 3079, Email: amichael@cilncf.org. At the base of the flyer, the text, “This publication is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)) through USAging as part of a financial assistance award to USAging totaling $74,999,835 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official view of, nor an endorsement, by USAging, ACL/ HHS.” is placed. 
Flyer has a white background with the Disability Rights Florida logo at the top.  Below the logo, is brick red lettering that reads, “Backpack Giveaway”.  Below that to the right, there is a picture of the red and grey backpack, with black straps and the Disability Rights Florida logo.  To the left of the backpack graphic, it reads, “What’s Inside?” and below that is a list of contents, mentioned in the caption above.   

Presidential Election Day 2024!

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Today is more than just a day to cast a ballot—it’s a day to amplify the voices of our community and ensure that the needs of individuals with disabilities, including those with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD), and their families are heard, respected, and valued. Voting is a fundamental right, but for those in the disability community, it’s also a powerful tool for advocacy, change, and inclusion.

Each vote we cast today is a step toward shaping policies that affect quality healthcare, accessible education, and essential support services that directly impact individuals with disabilities and their families. By voting, we’re not just choosing leaders; we’re advocating for a future that prioritizes the needs of some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Voting isn’t just for today’s changes—it’s also about empowering the next generation and ensuring that our democratic system is accessible and inclusive for all. Let’s break down barriers, support accessible voting options, and inspire our loved ones to stand up for the rights they deserve.

Every vote today sends a message: we are here, we are active, and our voices matter. Together, let’s make sure our disability community is represented at the polls.

ID: This image has a bold, patriotic design with a blue background. The text reads: “YOUR VOICE. YOUR VOTE.”
The words “YOUR VOICE” are in uppercase, with “YOUR” in white and “VOICE” in red, while “YOUR VOTE” is in uppercase white outlined text.
At the bottom, a red banner contains additional text in white that reads:
“PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2024
TUESDAY | NOV. 5TH”
In the background, a subtle outline of the Statue of Liberty adds a symbolic touch, emphasizing the theme of civic duty and patriotism.

Wellness Ice Cream Social!

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This past summer, as part of our monthly health and wellness activities, staff from our Gainesville and Ocala offices were able to enjoy a yummy, fun and festive ice cream social to help beat the heat! Staff were able to build their own ice cream sundaes with a variety of ice creams and all the fixings! After everyone got their sugar fix, staff were able to get their vitamin D and enjoy some time in the outdoors with various activities, including sidewalk chalk art, a frisbee water relay race and a water balloon toss. No one complained about getting wet on such a hot day! Staff had a wonderful time just hanging out in the activity room, enjoying each other’s company, and being able to take a much needed break from their busy work days.

ID: There are a total of 3 graphics. Alternative Text / Image Descriptions are included for each graphic, respectively.

This graphic is titled “Wellness Ice Cream Social” and features photos from a social event at the Center for Independent Living (CIL) Gainesville office. The background is purple with white text, and the CIL logo appears at the center. The layout includes four images:
Top left: Two people sitting indoors, smiling and holding bowls of ice cream. One person is making a peace sign.
Top right: Two people standing in a kitchen area, serving themselves ice cream and smiling at the camera.
Bottom left: A group of people outdoors, interacting and chatting. One person is wearing a yellow rain poncho.
Bottom right: Three people sitting on a concrete path outside, drawing on the pavement with colorful chalk and smiling at the camera.
The images capture a fun and relaxed atmosphere among the attendees enjoying their time together.
This graphic is titled “Wellness Ice Cream Social” and shows moments from a Center for Independent Living event held at the Gainesville office. The purple and blue background with white text displays the title at the top, with the CIL logo centered at the bottom. Four photos capture attendees participating in outdoor games on a grassy lawn:
Top left: Four people spread out, appearing to play a tossing game. One person is wearing a yellow poncho.
Top right: Two people tossing a small ball back and forth, smiling.
Bottom left: Two people, one in a yellow poncho, standing by a water bin with red cups, engaged in an activity.
Bottom right: Two people facing each other, appearing to be in a playful game, with others in the background.
The images show a cheerful, interactive event with participants enjoying outdoor activities.
This graphic, titled “Wellness Ice Cream Social,” captures moments from a Center for Independent Living event at the Ocala office. The background is teal and green with white text, and the CIL logo is centered at the bottom. Four photos display attendees enjoying ice cream and participating in outdoor games:
Top left: People seated around a table indoors, eating ice cream and chatting, with decorations in the background.
Top right: Two people standing near a decorated area with a green backdrop, smiling while holding cups of ice cream.
Bottom left: A group of people playing a game in a parking lot, smiling and engaged.
Bottom right: Two people tossing an item back and forth, with others observing.
The photos reflect a lively, community-focused event with both indoor and outdoor activities.