Our Director Tony at the Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida shares a message of deep gratitude and wishes for a happy, healthy, and independent 2023! Our staff work with so much heart and dedication to empower people with disabilities to live independently. We’re absolutely thrilled for what this year will bring.

In collaboration with Mobility Express AND Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology, The Center for Independent Living presents Mobility Express Presentation.

This training will cover information and equipment that helps accommodate for lift chairs, power chairs, vehicle modifications, and more!

DATE: January 17, 2023, 9:30am – 10:30am
Please call to reserve a seat, space is limited

LOCATION: The Center for Independent Living
2760 SE 17th Street, Suite 300 Ocala, FL 34471
(352) 368-3788

Coping with Caregiving is a free course for caregivers to learn how to de-stress and better manager daily life. This course is for anyone who cares for a loved one with dementia, chronic illness, or any other disability.

Location: Center for Independent Living
222 SW 36th Terrace
Gainesville, FL 32607

The second Tuesday of the month, from 10:00 – 12:00
– January 10th – Bouncing Back
– February 14th – Strategies for Stress
– March 14th – Coping with Frustration
– April 11th – Filling the Well

To Register, contact Sam Strickland at 352-692-5246. Participants who attend all 4 sessions will receive a certificate of completion and gift card.

Sponsored by Elderly Options The Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida, and FAAST. Contact Claudia Avendano for FAAST Programs (352-378-7474 ext. 2100

Happy 2023! We are thrilled to continue in-person classes at the CIL, so please join us this January! 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!

All of us here at the CIL wish you a very Happy New Year! Cheers to 2023!

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.