🚀 Our Youth Social Group recently had an absolute blast exploring the Cade Museum! From building zany Rube Goldberg machines to diving into wild chemical reactions, we were hands-on with all things science and creativity. We even got our names printed on newspapers from an old-school press and crafted some amazing ocean collages!

But that’s not all—we also learned about Dr. Robert Cade’s creation of Gatorade and rocked out to the history of Gainesville’s own Tom Petty! 🎸🔬

If you’re a youth or young adult with disabilities (ages 14-24) looking to make new friends, get ready for adulthood, and discover cool new experiences like this, we’d love to have you join us! Reach out to Ashlyn at (352) 378-7474 ext. 2056 or email amichael@cilncf.org to learn more.

ID: There are 2 graphics, both with a light blue background. The first graphic consists of a photo collage of 5 pictures. These pictures include YSG consumers and staff standing for a picture together, looking and participating in exhibits, swinging at Depot Park, and playing musical instruments outside. The second graphic consists of another photo collage of 4 pictures. These include more YSG consumers participating in the hands-on exhibits as well!

🌟 We are 4 WEEKS out from our annual Give4Marion Fundraiser on September 17-18!

The Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida (CILNCF) is gearing up for our 5th year of participating in the Give4Marion fundraising event on September 17-18! This event is a pivotal moment for us, and your support is vital in helping us continue our mission to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve their dreams of independence.

🗓 When: September 17-18
🌐 Where to Donate: www.give4marion.org

For 42 years, CILNCF has been a cornerstone in Marion County, and this past year we supported nearly 3,000 individuals through our comprehensive services. Whether it’s through our Five Core Services—Advocacy, Information & Referral, Independent Living Skills Education, Peer Support, and Transition—or our specialized programs like ADA Paratransit, Employment Services, Deaf Services, and High School High Tech, we are dedicated to enhancing the independence and quality of life for people with disabilities.

But our work isn’t possible without you. 🙌

How You Can Make a Difference:

Your donation, no matter the size, will directly benefit the consumers and programs that rely on CILNCF. Every contribution ensures that individuals with disabilities in our community continue to have access to essential resources, services, and the support they need to live independently.

Please mark your calendar and join us in making a difference by donating through the Give4Marion platform. Together, we can continue to champion community inclusion, equal access, and civil rights for all.

Thank you for being a part of our journey and for your unwavering support. Let’s create lasting change together! 💙

We love our CIL team and all that they do! In June, the CIL celebrated our awesome staff with a festive and fun Staff Appreciation Day, as part of our monthly health and wellness activities! CIL staff enjoyed a continental breakfast with all the fixings, such as bagels, cream cheese, fruit, yogurt, nuts and muffins.

Everyone also enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch from Bolay (Gainesville Office) and a buffet bar from Chicken Salad Chick (Ocala Office). Several gifts of appreciation were distributed to staff throughout the day, and everyone had the opportunity to earn some extra vacation time through fun lotto games and trivia.

We appreciate each and every one of you so much, and could not accomplish any of our goals without your dedicated support!

ID: There are 3 graphics in total, with varying color schemes of purplce, blue, green, turquoise. and light blue. Each graphic has “Staff Appreciation Day 2024” written in white in the top center, 4 photos, and the CIL logo in the center of all 4 photos. The photo collage show staff enjoying a buffet lunch, interacting with each other, and participating in trivia games during the event.

WOW, where did the past few months go?? Can’t believe the dog days of summer have passed, and the school year is already here! We hope everyone has had a wonderful summer filled with lots of fun in the sun, but that you all continue to stay cool and hydrated in this heat.

Our CIL birthday celebrations continue and we’re playing catch up, so please join us in saying a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to CIL staff members who celebrated birthdays back in May and June! We hope you all had fantastic birthdays filled with happiness, laughter and yummy cake!

BRANDON – May 6th
KEN – May 16th
COLETTE – June 2nd
KEVIN – June 11th
ALEX – June 20th
DEBBIE – June 23rd
CLAUDIA – June 27th

ID:
Picture 1 is of Brandon sitting at a table in the Ocala Activity Room, with his birthday card and glazed lemon cookies off to the side. He is smiling and his left hand is on the table by a napkin with two glazed lemon cookies. The photo has a white border, with a turquoise gradient along the bottom; “Happy Birthday” is written in white script font and “Brandon” written underneath.

Picture 2 is of Kevin standing in the Ocala Kitchen, smiling and holding up his half-eaten pan of chocolate brownies. The photo has a white border, with a blue gradient along the bottom; “Happy Birthday” is written in white script font and “Kevin” written underneath.

Picture 3 is of Ken standing in front of a table that is in front of the TV monitor in the Gainesville Activity room. He is smiling and holding up a carrot cake cupcake. The table contains a colorful Happy Birthday gift bag, a small Happy Birthday banner, plates, napkins, carrot cake and red velvet cupcakes and a variety of berries. On the TV is an image of Ryan Gosling as Ken from the movie Barbie, singing, “I’m Just Ken”. The photo has a white border, with a purple gradient along the bottom; “Happy Birthday” is written in white script font and “Ken” written underneath.

Picture 4 is a group picture of (from left to right) Claudia wearing a green birthday hat, Colette wearing a pink birthday hat, and Alex, holding up a yellow envelope containing a card for Debbie, since she was not able to make the celebration. They are all smiling and standing in front of the large TV monitor showing colorful birthday balloons, and a Happy Birthday banner is hanging across the monitor. The photo has a white border, with a light blue gradient along the bottom; “Happy Birthday” is written in white script font and “Claudia + Colette + Alex” written underneath.

The High School High Tech (HSHT) program, serving students with disabilities in Alachua, Levy, Marion, and Putnam counties, had a successful 2023-2024 school year. The program provided workshops, guest speakers, field trips, job shadowing, social activities, a business competition, and summer internships. Nearly 80% of graduating seniors are transitioning to post-secondary education, employment, or the military, with the rest considering their options.

Students particularly enjoyed educational and industrial field trips, including visits to the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, the Automotive Service Technology department at Santa Fe College, UF’s Institute of Advanced Learning Technologies, and UF’s Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research.

HSHT, managed by The Able Trust, offers students with disabilities opportunities to explore careers and post-secondary education. The program follows the Guideposts for Success and aims to improve education and employment participation, increase graduation rates, and boost enrollment in higher education. HSHT operates in 45 Florida locations, involving students, parents, businesses, educators, and rehabilitation professionals, and helps reduce dropout rates and improve students’ self-esteem.

Please contact our HSHT Program Director, Niusha Nazar Kazemi, if you are interested in learning more about what HSHT has to offer. Niusha can be reached at nnazarkazemi@cilncf.org or by phone: 352-378-7474 ext. 2025.

ID:

Photo 1: Group photo of students attending the UF ICBR industry field trip, standing in front of a screen with a title slide of a powerpoint presentation.

Photo 2: Group photo of students attending UF’s Institute of Advanced Learning Technologies educational fieldtrip, standing in a separate room.

Photo 3: Group photo of students attending the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo fieldtrip, standing in front of the sign outside.

Photo 4: Group photo of students attending the Santa Fe College educational fieldtrip at the Automotive Service Technology, standing inside the main lobby with glass doors and windows behind them.

This past April, our very own Colleen Metcalf, Consumer Specialist, hosted a Career Day at the Ocala CIL, with a panel of five Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals from the community who were either successfully working or were retired. Forest High school had eight Deaf/Hard of Hearing students who visited the CIL on a fieldtrip to our Career Day.

During the event, students enjoyed a tour of our Ocala building and learned all about the CIL and our programs. Students also learned about various career areas and ideas, got to see stories from successful people who could be considered “role models”, and learned about how to be independent in this endeavor.

The panel explained and advised them about the importance of preparing for their future after graduation, training/vocational school, college, direct placement, and overall how to be independent and enjoy their futures. Students were able to ask questions to panel members about their jobs.

Afterwards, everyone enjoyed pizza, cookies, cake and camaraderie. It was a huge success and all students seemed to really enjoy it!

ID:
Photo 1: Eight deaf/hard of hearing students from Forest High School visited the CIL Ocala on a fieldtrip to our Career Day.
Photo 2: Eight Students from Forest High School engaging with a panel of five deaf/hard of hearing individuals from the community.

Due to the impacts of Hurricane Debby, our office will be closed today to ensure the safety of our staff and community. Your well-being is our top priority. Please stay safe and take necessary precautions during the storm.

Disability & Disaster Hotline: +1 (800) 626 – 4959
After storm FEMA assistance: (800) 621 – 3362

Alachua County updates on Hurricane Debby’s impacts on the area: Hurricane Debby made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend area this morning, but North Central Florida continues to feel its effects. Flooding rains, widespread power outages, and fallen trees are common across the region.

For those traveling into Gainesville on West Newberry Road, expect delays due to a fallen tree blocking an eastbound lane just before Moe’s Southwest Grill. An Alachua County Sheriff’s Office vehicle is on-site managing the situation.

As of 6 a.m., Hurricane Debby had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and was moving north-northeast at 10 mph. Alachua County has received 1 to 4 inches of rain, with Archer and Newberry seeing the most. Winds are sustained at 10 to 20 mph, with gusts over 40 mph. Due to the storm’s slow movement, some areas may receive up to 20 inches of rain.

Even during our mandatory yearly trainings, the CIL Team still manages to have a blast together! We all had fun a couple of months back, as we completed our “Edutainment” Annual Health and Safety Training on our Emergency Action Plans for Medical, Fire, Inclement Weather and Intruder Alert. Even though the fire simulator device for our fire challenge, (on loan from the Tampa Bay Healthcare Coalition) was being testy and the fire extinguishers would not hold a charge, we made the best of it, and some staff still managed to try it out. We had a great time playing a competitive game of “CIL Emergency Action Plan Jeopardy”, and everyone had fun working together on their teams. We also enjoyed some yummy snacks and quality time together, outside of our usual day to day!

ID: Photo 1 is a group picture of the Ocala team sitting at tables in the Ocala Activity Room, at the start of the training. Photo 2 is CIL staff member Clara trying out the fire simulator device. She is pointing the fire extinguisher nozzle at the simulated fire on the screen. Photo 3 CIL staff member Brandon trying out the fire simulator device. He is pointing the fire extinguisher nozzle at the simulated fired on the screen. Photo 4 is a picture taken from the front of the Gainesville Activity Room. Staff are sitting at tables that are arranged in a U shape, and they are listening to Ashlyn, who is standing in the middle and leading the Jeopardy game.

🌞🌼 Summertime has been so good to our Community Wellness Wednesday group! We have enjoyed many creative, fun, and educational activities over the past few weeks including making music, learning about nutritious foods, creating colorful beaded wind chimes, playing board games, and spending some time outside in the sun! Here are a few pictures capturing our activities over the last few group meetings! 🎶🥗🌈🕹️🌞

Community Wellness Wednesday is open to any adults with disabilities who would like to:

🎨 Create art with peers
🩺 Learn from health experts
🧩 Play educational trivia and other interactive games
🧘‍♂️ Take part in self-care practices that promote relaxation

For more information on Community Wellness Wednesday group meetings, contact Ashlyn by phone at (352) 378-7474 ext. 2056 or email at amichael@cilncf.org!

ID: This post consists of three graphics, all with a pale yellow background. The first graphic consists of an abstract collage of 4 photos taken during different Community Wellness Wednesday meetings with the CIL logo located in the middle of the collage. In these photos, participants are either participating in music or board games! In the second graphic, there is a collage of 3 photos. Two photos contain Community Wellness Wednesday group participants making music and one contains a participant holding up their hand-made wind chime! The last graphic is made up of 2 photos, the top one being a picture of participants playing with a ball outside, and the bottom showing Community Wellness Wednesday group participants engaging in board games.

Our Project SEARCH interns were recognized at a graduation celebration at Shands Hospital in May for all of the accomplishments they achieved during the past year. Our interns made remarkable contributions across multiple departments, including Kitchen, Transportation, Environmental Services (EVS), Pharmacy, and Respiratory. In the Kitchen, they improved meal prep efficiency and nutrition tracking.

In Transportation, they optimized patient and equipment transport logistics. In EVS, they enhanced cleanliness protocols, ensuring a safer environment. In the Pharmacy, they assisted with medication management and inventory control. In the Respiratory department, they supported patient respiratory care and equipment maintenance. Their hard work and dedication have not only prepared them for future careers but also advanced the hospital’s operational excellence.

As a result, five of our interns secured employed at Shands in three departments! The remaining students will continue with the employment service as they work towards their futures.