Election Day is almost here!  Check out these interesting statistics about people with disabilities and voting:

A political profile of people with disabilities

Voting is your voice, so let your voice be heard on November 8th, or now with the convenience of early voting from October 24th through November 5th!

Halloween is not the only spooky thing happening in this country today.  So many people with disabilities do not vote and have their voices heard, or complain about the system, but do not vote to try and change it…and that is definitely something scary!  Please do not be a frightening statistic; get out and vote!

“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt

The University of Florida Campaign for Charities (UFCC) is the annual employee giving campaign.  All UF, UAA and UFF employees can participate by making charitable donations though payroll deduction, cash, check, credit card or stock contribution.  For the last 11 years, UF employees have given almost $1 million annually to charities serving our region!

Once again, the CILNCF is a participating agency this year.  Donate to us through the UFCC and not only can you enjoy the ease of payroll deduction for your donation, but with the addition of undesignated funds your dollars are leveraged – last year individual donations increased 35%!  That means when you donate $100 to our agency, $135 is actually received by our agency!  The campaign will run until October 21st and all donations received through the UFCC will benefit our Wheelchair Ramp Building Program and Five-Core Services.  Learn more at www.ufcc.ufl.edu

Not a UF employee?  Well this year there are even more ways to participate!  UFCC is utilizing a crowdfunding site called “CrowdRise” to increase participation in the UFCC.  This addition allows all individuals to participate in the Campaign for Charities whether or not they are employed by UF.  Gifts through this platform will be credited to the undesignated portion of the campaign and divided among all the agencies based on the percentage of their participation in the campaign.

To make an immediate DONATION to the UFCC campaign and support all the participating agencies, go to https://www.crowdrise.com/university-of-florida1 and click “DONATE” to complete the process.

SPECIAL THANKS to all of our past and present UFCC donors!!  We have truly appreciated your support throughout the years!  Your donations are helping us continue to empower people with disabilities to live as independently as possible!

The TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank^®, recently donated a total of $2,500 to the Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida (CILNCF) as part of the foundation’s commitment to giving back to the community.

The funds from the TD Charitable Foundation will be used towards the CILNCF’s High School High Tech (HSHT) Program for student activities such as STEM related workshops, corporate site visits, college and university campus tours, job shadowing and summer internships at local businesses.

“On behalf of the HSHT Program and the CILNCF, we are thrilled to receive this grant from the TD Charitable Foundation where funds will be used towards student activities such as job shadowing and summer internships. These experiences are extremely meaningful for our students.  They allow them to get real world experiences so they can make informed decisions upon graduation and go a long way to setting them up for success in the long term,” said HSHT Program Director Melissa Merrill.

A staunch commitment to active involvement in the local community is a vital element of the TD Bank philosophy. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank^® and the TD Charitable Foundation provide support to affordable housing, financial literacy and education, and environmental initiatives, many of which focus on improving the welfare of children and families.

About the TD Charitable Foundation

The TD Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Bank N.A., which operates as TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank^®, and is one of the 10 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States. The Foundation’s mission is to serve the individuals, families and businesses in all the communities where TD Bank operates, having made more than $159.8  million in charitable donations since its inception in 2002. The Foundation’s areas of focus are affordable housing, financial literacy and education, and environmental initiatives, many of which focus on improving the welfare of children and families.

About TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank^®

TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 8 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at approximately 1,300 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth^®, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.

TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol “TD”. To learn more, visit www.td.com.

Please join us!  Learn more about ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) United accounts at our upcoming Community Forum here at the Center for Independent Living on Thursday, August 11th at 7:00 PM.  Shannon Miller, Esq. from the Miller Elder Law Firm will be presenting.

ABLE United is a new law enacted July 1st, 2016 and provides the opportunity for Floridians with disabilities to save for the future without the concern of losing important state and federal benefits.

Please RSVP at PAGainesville@gmail.com.  We hope to see you there!

Volunteers with Disabilities needed for a special needs shelter drill, conducted by the Citrus County Florida Department of Health!

Help emergency response personnel to better serve people with disabilities in crisis situations.  People with all types of disabilities needed including, but not limited to:

• Physical:  Spinal cord injury, Diabetes
• Mental Health:  Depression, PTSD
• Sensory:  Deaf, Blind
• Cognitive:  Intellectual, ASD, Brain Injury

Time:  All day from 8:30am to 4:00pm (Lunch will be provided!)

Date:  Wednesday, July 13th, 2016

Location:  Renaissance Center School in Lecanto

To register, please contact Kevin Towles at the CILNCF Satellite Office in Ocala at 352-368-3788 or by e-mail at ktowles@cilncf.org.

RSVP by July 1st, 2016!    

On May 3rd, 2016, the Center for Independent Living is participating in The Amazing Give through the Community Foundation.  It is 24 hours of nonprofit giving, where area residents can give to their favorite nonprofits through online donations, and we need YOU to join us.

If you support people with disabilities living more independent lives, then you support the Center for Independent Living.  Every donation through The Amazing Give will help further our mission – and it’s your chance to make a real difference, right here in our community.

Please check out the Center’s donation page by clicking on the link below.  When we work together, AMAZING things can happen for our community!

The Amazing Give

Please check out this link to the Gainesville Sun and learn more about our new Executive Director, Tony Delisle, PhD:

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20160228/articles/160229775

The Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida’s High School High Tech (HSHT) Program is conducting a fundraiser with Relectrocycle, a company based in Ocala that specializes in refurbishing and recycling electronics.  The fundraiser will run from now until January 2016.  We will be collecting various electronics to help raise money for our summer internship stipends.  Please review the list below to see if you (or family/friends) may have some of these items to donate.  Everything listed can be any age or condition.  We would greatly appreciate any help you could provide!  If you would like to donate or have any questions, please contact HSHT Program Director Melissa Merrill at 352-378-7474 ext. 25.

Laptops (be sure and send the power supply)
Cell Phones
Smart Phones
PDA’s
IPods & MP3 players
Computer components including RAM (memory sticks), Processors, Hard Drive Boards, Motherboards, and other Plug-In boards
(The above items all come from the inside of computer towers, so you can ask for them and then dismantle)
Lithium Ion Batteries from cell phones and Laptops only
Video Games
Digital Cameras
Computer Tape Drives and Unused Media
Brass Band Instruments
Radio and TV Tubes
Computer Towers
Servers
Cables & Cords
Ink & Toner Cartridges
Electric Motors
Lead Batteries
Battery Backups
Flat Screen Monitors and True Flat Screen TVs (LCD, LED, Plasma)
Antique Electronics

THANK YOU!!