This holiday season, the CIL welcomed seven volunteers from the UF Disability Resource Center and one CIL intern, who all helped the CIL prepare for our ILS group holidays! They assembled 14 craft bags of ILS activities for the month of December, and we are so grateful for all of their hard work and support!

December is the month we learn the importance of giving to others and how much more thoughtful it is to give someone a gift made from our hearts, rather than just buying something! Because of our wonderful volunteers, our consumers were able to make their own craft gifts, wrap the gifts, and prepare them to be given to friends and family. They were also able to celebrate the holidays with a party, play some fun on-line games, and receive some special gifts from the CIL.

Thank you so much again to all of our amazing CIL volunteers and interns! You truly help us continue to make a difference and provide the needed services to our consumers, especially during these challenging times!

The CIL’s first rural food distribution during the time of COVID was to the ARC of Bradford County. From the moment we initiated contact to build the relationship, The ARC staff were exceptional. ARC staffer, Jennifer, was ready to send out the needed information to find interested group homes and those who were in need. She was able to connect us with at least 40 new consumers in Bradford County. When we arrived, the consumers and staff were ready with all hands-on deck. We had a station for signing consumers up, check-in for those whose paperwork was complete, a wellness check-in station, and pick-up for the food boxes. We played music and had consumers dancing and singing while learning more about the center. The day was a complete success, and we gained another community family with CIL.

We would like to thank our Toys for Tots partners! Every year they help our consumers have a wonderful holiday and make sure that families get a visit from Santa! This year we bagged toys for over 50 kids from 21 families. These bags were filled with games, dolls, and some awesome bikes!

Join us for our first Virtual Art Showcase! We are highlighting art of all mediums created by our community of people with disabilities. If you or a friend is interested, check out the details and register below.

Register Here – https://forms.gle/b74qkMQvaHxcaDNk7

Download Terms and Conditions Here – https://www.cilncf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Art-Showcase-CIL-website-1.docx

Our Thanksgiving Baskets Program was a success again this year! This last week the CIL was able to provide 20 of our consumers and their families with the basic needs for a great Thanksgiving meal. We were able to do with the help of Trinity Missions. They coordinate this amazing community wide program every year!

Happy Thanksgiving! On behalf of the CIL staff we hope everyone stays safe and enjoys their Thanksgiving meal. Be sure to save us some 🙂

Don’t forget to join us for the 2nd installment of Disabilities & Disasters: Lunch-n-Learn series. The 2nd installment is Tuesday, November 17th @ 1 pm. Each month we cover disasters that impact those with disabilities and how to diminish the effects. Click the following link to register for this informative event! https://disabilitiesanddisasterscovid19.eventbrite.com

Earlier in October, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority highlighted Disability Employment Awareness Month as part of their Annual Unity Jam Week. During the week they hosted fundraisers, informational forums, community service activities, and more! They raised $200 in donations for our CIL! In addition to the monetary donation, they created sensory boards to used when resume in-person classes. The CIL couldn’t be more grateful!