Greetings | The Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida welcomes you! If you have any questions about the center or the services we provide, please contact us at 352-378-7474. Our number again, is 3, 5, 2, 3, 7, 8, 7, 4, 7, 4.
This past week, our Community Specialist, Sada, and Health Disparities intern, Daniela, attended UF’s annual HHP internship fair. It was an amazing opportunity to meet prospective interns and to connect with various community organizations. Thank you Sada and Daniela for helping to keep our internship program strong!
Image description: Image is a picture of Sada and Daniela sitting in the UF gym at a table covered with a blue tablecloth. A tall CIL banner is on the left side of the table and there are informational materials spread out across the table.
The CIL turned 40 late last year, and as our way of celebrating, we will be highlighting one of our programs each month. For the month of February, we are highlighting our CIL youth program!
In the CIL Youth Leadership & Social Group, individuals with disabilities between the ages of 14 and 24 who are interested in having fun and creating friendships explore different activities to improve their social skills and learn with one another. Last week, participants celebrated Valentine’s Day. Destiny, one of our interns, educated participants on the history of Valentine’s Day and played a guessing game. Next week, the group is going to watch a movie together on Zoom!
Image Description: Background is a pastel pink. In the top center is red bolded text reading: “Youth Leadership & Social Group”. Beneath is an image of an open laptop. On the laptop screen is a snapshot of a PowerPoint slide reading “What are some common things/activities that you can do on Valentine’s Day?” with images of chocolate, flowers, dancing, teddy bears, and cards. Images of program participants are on the right hand side of the laptop screen. The CIL logo is located on the bottom right side of the screen.
Please join a Family Network on Disabilities/North Central FL CIL collaboration!
Kathy Powell will provide a presentation via Zoom on, “Your Guide to an IEP That Works” and discuss developing and implementing an IEP (Individual Education Plan) on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, at 6:00 PM. Click on the link below for the zoom meeting!
Image description: Light purple background with a dark blue title at the top that reads “Your Guide to an IEP that works!”. Underneath the title is a smaller paragraph that says: “Developing and implementing an IEP (Individual Education Plan) is the equal responsibility of educators, parents, and other members of the IEP team. This workshop explains the IEP process and the importance of parental participation. Learn helpful tips for writing effective IEP goals and strategies”. There’s a fuchsia line with a rose in the middle separating this paragraph and the next. Underneath it is a long oval with the date of the event written inside (Wednesday February 23rd, 2022 6 pm) and then there’s another line with a rose in the middle in dark blue. The last line reads: “Click the link below for the zoom meeting”. The CIL logo is in the bottom right corner and the Family Network on Disabilities logo is in the bottom left corner.
The Florida Association of Centers for Independent Living (FACIL) is still accepting applications for the James Patrick Memorial Work Incentive Personal Assistant Services program (JPPAS)! The JPPAS program provides monthly stipends to qualified Floridians with disabilities who require personal assistance services for daily living.
Read Christina’s comment below about how JPPAS has helped her achieve her career goals!
“I cannot say enough about how JPPAS has impacted my life in the most positive ways. The ability to employ an assistant to support me in my daily work activities has enabled me not only to work a 40-hour week, but to excel and achieve a promotion to a supervisor position. As supervisor, it is not only being up and working at your desk, but also attending conferences, trainings, and outreach functions. In the past I would have to request accommodation and pass on many activities, but with JPPAS those days are in the past.”
Image description: Pink background with a picture of Christina in her office sitting at her desk and smiling. There are dark pink and green leaves peeking out of the borders of the image and a green striped semi-circle at the top of the picture and in the bottom left corner of the graphic. In the top right corner, there’s a light green squiggly line. The FACIL logo is in the bottom right corner and the JPPAS logo is in the top left corner.
Happy Valentine’s day from all of us here at the CIL!
Image Description: Background is a pastel pink with dark pink border lines. In the upper left corner is an envelope with hearts bursting out and a box with heart balloons attached to is. In the upper right corner is the CIL logo. In the center are the words “Happy Valentine’s Day” in black, bolded text. Beneath this text is a paragraph, reading: “We adore our consumers, staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners! Thank you so much for contributing to our mission and purpose. You hold a special place in our hearts.” At the bottom is a signature line in pink bolded text, reading: “XOXO, CILNCF”.
Our very own Sada Ahmed, CIL Community Specialist, will be hosting an informational virtual program on the history and services we provide to our community. All adults 19 years and up are welcome. Come join Sada via zoom on Thursday, February 17th at 12:00 p.m! Click the link below to learn more about this event!
Image description: Light green background with pale flower outlines and blue and brown butterflies on the left and right borders. The CIL logo is at the top of the image and the Community Partners Present logo is in the top right corner. Underneath it, a block of text reads, “Learn about the history and the services that the Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida provides to our community!”. In the center of the image, there is a gilded dark green box with the date of the event: Thursday, February 17th from 12 pm-1 pm. The Alachua County Library District logo is in the bottom left corner of the image.
The Center for Independent Living of North Central FL is hosting the 5th Annual Emergency Preparedness Expo for People with Disabilities. The theme this year is What Happens Next After the Storm. This FREE event will include a variety of vendors and speakers to help prepare people with disabilities in our community for any type of emergency.
ASL interpreters will be provided and other accommodations can be arranged. In order to look out for everyone’s safety and health at this time, masks are highly encouraged. For more information about this event, please contact Kevin Towles at ktowles@cilncf.org or 352-368-3788.
Image description: Light blue background with a blue, light green, and teal banner at the bottom. The CIL logo and Ready Set Safe logo are at the top of the image and the title of the flyer underneath it reads: 5th Annual Emergency Preparedness Expo for People with Disabilities. The next line reads: Theme: What Happens Next After the Storm. Under that, the words “free event” are centered and there is blue, fuchsia, green, and teal confetti on either side. On the next line coming out of the left side of the flyer, there is a green banner with an arrow pointing to a picture of a face mask and the words “Masks Highly Encouraged”. The location and time of the event that’s mentioned in the caption above is written inside the green banner. Underneath it in fuchsia colored lettering, centered on the flyer, is the contact information and the website mentioned in the caption above. In this order, the Ocala Recreation and Parks, APD Cares, Developmental Service Trainers, Marion County seal, and Marion County Police Department logos are at the bottom of the page.
The Florida Association of Centers for Independent Living (FACIL) is still accepting applications for the James Patrick Memorial Work Incentive Personal Assistant Services program (JPPAS)! The JPPAS program provides monthly stipends to qualified Floridians with disabilities who require personal assistance services for daily living.
Michael has been using JPPAS for over two years! Read Michael’s comment below about how JPPAS has changed his life:
“I have been a member of the JPPAS Community for more than two years. It has been a life-changing benefit for me and many others living with a disability. For years people with disabilities were looked at as a community that can contribute little to society as an employee, an employer or as a consumer. Much like myself, people who live with a disability want the opportunity to contribute to society in the workforce and every other aspect of what makes life worth living.
The JPPAS program Is the main reason that this is possible for a great number of people living in the state of Florida. The assistance provided allows me to live at home with my wife, work at a job that I enjoy and lead a productive life full of happiness and purpose.
Florida has so much to offer people who live with a disability. Our state is an attractive destination for a community of employed workers and consumers which makes Florida a paradise for reasons that go beyond beaches and the sunshine. Quality of life is a necessity for every human being. For thousands of Floridians, this would not be possible without the assistance of The JPPAS program.”
Image description: dark blue background featuring two pictures of Michael side by side. The picture on the left is Michael smiling in his wheelchair with a computer on his lap. The picture on the right is angled behind Michael so you can see his laptop screen while he works outside in his backyard. The FACIL logo is in the bottom right corner of the image. There are blue semicircles and small pink dots spread around borders of the image.
Show the CIL a little love and join us for our weekly online classes! Youth Leadership & Social Group will be on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:00PM and Independence Hacks will be on Wednesdays from 10:30AM – 12:00PM. The meeting sign-in will be the same for each class and is 352-378-7474 and the password is cilclass. Please share this with anyone who may wish to participate. We hope to see you there!
Image description: Pink background with CIL logo in the top left corner. Red hearts are sprinkled throughout the image. The text in the graphic includes everything in the caption above. “February Online Calendar” is written in big lettering across the top of the image and “Tuesday” and “Wednesday” are written underneath it inside of a red heart. The class titles and meeting times are next to their corresponding weekday and the meeting ID and password is written at the bottom of the image.
Today we’d like to highlight all of our amazing staff members who received their staff awards at our Annual Staff Appreciation Luncheon last month: Brandon Palermo, our Consumer Specialist, and Ken Sanders, our Sign Language Interpreter, reached their 5 year anniversaries. Paratransit coordinator, Michael Culley, and Sign Language Interpreter, Riley Tuck, reached their 10 year anniversaries. Andrea Melvin, our Satellite Office Manager, has been with us for 20 years and Colette Gromoll, Business Manager, celebrated her 25 year anniversary!
The CIL has been so fortunate to have you all on our team. Every day you make a huge difference in the lives of people with disabilities and their loved ones, and we could not be more grateful. Thank you so much for your kind hearts, dedication, and commitment to this community and all of our consumers!
Image description: Light blue background with the words “Congrats to our amazing staff!” written in big black letters across the middle of the image followed by the CIL logo. There are 3 small pictures at the top of the graphic of our staff in the following order: Brandon (5 years) Ken (5 years) and Michael (10 years). At the bottom of the graphic, there are 3 more pictures of our staff in this order: Riley (10 years) Andrea (20 years) and Colette (25 years). There are small light blue, dark blue, and white stars sprinkled around the top left and bottom right corners of the graphic.
