Last month, CIL Staff Kevin Towles and Claudia Avendano represented the CIL at the Dixie County Fly-In Cruise-In Business Expo at the Cross City Airport.  This is a huge community event and air show with displays of classic cars, cruisers and unique aircraft, that drew in over 500 people this year.  Kevin and Claudia gave out tons of information about the CIL and our services and did a great job getting the word out to Dixie County residents about the wonderful work we do!

ID:  Image includes three pictures.  Top left is Claudia (standing on the left) and Kevin (sitting on the right) at the CIL information table covered with a royal blue tablecloth and CIL brochures.  The standing CIL banner is in the background to the right behind Kevin.  Bottom left are two airplanes performing aerobatics demonstrations.  On the entire right side of the image are Kevin (left) and Claudia (right) standing with a CIL Event sign in between them.  With her right hand, Claudia is holding the flag pole of a light blue and very tall Dixie County Chamber of Commerce flag that also stands in between them.  

Earlier last month, the CIL and FAAST Program partnered with Elder Options to provide the last session of the Coping with Caregiving series.  This was a free course (four sessions total) for caregivers and clients who care for individuals with dementia, chronic illness, or any other disability, to learn how to de-stress and better manage daily life. 

The topic for the last session was “Filling the Well” and participants learned strategies about self-care and to make sure they are taking care of themselves first so they will be able to face the challenges and frustrations that come up throughout the day. The final goal presented to caregivers was making sure they put into practice all of the strategies learned in the four sessions.  CIL Staff Claudia, also provided a FAAST training on the Echo Show device, a smart speaker enabled with a 7-inch touchscreen by Amazon featuring Alexa, the company’s AI assistant. 

ID:  Picture of three attendees (left) and CIL Staff Claudia (right), sitting at a table in the CIL activity room.  Claudia is sitting across from the attendees.

Happy Friday and Cinco de Mayo Everyone!  Please enjoy this awesome success story from Lauren, our Employment Services Director.  Thanks so much to our wonderful Employment Team for all that you do with helping our consumers achieve meaningful employment! 

Brandon had never worked or even interviewed before, but was seeking part-time employment, specifically with Publix that was close to home. Once we applied, Brandon was called for an interview, but needed a haircut and some interview clothes first. We were able to work with FlashCutz to obtain a haircut, and the Career Cabana with our local Career Source, to obtain a free interview outfit. He was nervous, but ready!

We interviewed with Kenny at the Grand Oaks Publix in Ocala and Brandon knocked the interview out of the park with the answer to his final interview question: “What’s the most important part about your Publix uniform?” He replied: “A winning smile,” which sealed the deal! He was hired on the spot at his first ever interview, at his first job, on the first try! Brandon has begun working with his coworkers, job coach and other members of management to address the accommodations needed and successfully begin work! He looks forward to going to work every shift as well as helping his family with household needs.

ID:  Picture of Brandon standing in front of a beige wall outside, with brick at the bottom half.  He is wearing his Publix uniform and name tag.

In mid-April, the CIL hosted our 2^nd Annual Emergency Preparedness Expo for people with disabilities in Alachua County at Santa Fe College, and it was a great day for all!  It was attended by nearly 50 participants including 16 vendors (community-based organizations), and multiple emergency management and first responder agencies.  Throughout the event, participants with disabilities accessed important resources about how to fully prepare for any type of emergency, which is vital as the hurricane season approaches.   

Special thanks to all of our wonderful donors, vendors and speakers who helped make this event possible!  We are grateful for your continued support of people with disabilities in Alachua County!

Also, great job to our Emergency Preparedness Team!  We appreciate you all so much and all of your hard work to deliver these valuable services for the community we serve!

ID:  Six pictures within the image.  The top left picture is of attendees at the sign-in table.  The top middle picture is of Tony giving a presentation with a huge screen to the left on the wall, showing a PowerPoint slide about CIL services.  The top right picture is of the standing CIL banner with a table to the right.  The middle picture is of CIL Staff Terri (left) and Holly (right), sitting at the sign-in table.  The bottom left picture is of CIL Staff Niusha (left) and Sada (right), sitting at the CIL table with the CIL standing banner to the left; the table is covered with a royal blue tablecloth, CIL brochures and swag items.  The bottom right picture is of CIL Staff Claudia (left) and Lindsey (right), sitting at a table covered with a FAAST logo tablecloth and the FAAST standing banner is behind them; Claudia has FAAST brochures and AT devices on the table in front of her, and Lindsey has AgrAbility brochures and information on the table in front of her.  The CIL logo is in the middle right, and the Santa Fe College logo is in the middle left.  Each image is separated by lines with the CIL logo colors of green, light blue, dark blue, teal and fuchsia.   

The first Wednesday of May celebrates all interpreters who provide accessible communication at businesses, hospitals, government services, organizations and more. Thank you so much to all of our awesome interpreters, Debbie Beaver, Ken Sanders, Riley Tuck and Sophia Kitchen! You do so much to assist with communication for people who are deaf and for the CIL as a whole. You all rock!

Also, thanks so much to CIL staff Kathy Elkins, Kim Moffitt and Patty McElroy! You all play a big role in our interpreting program from coordination to accounting.

On the last day of March, after 3 years, we were finally able to have an in-person staff retreat for our hard-working CIL team!  We enjoyed a beautiful day at Poe Springs Park in High Springs and everyone had a blast participating in a scavenger hunt, solving fun riddles, playing team building games and exploring the amenities of the park.  It was wonderful to see everyone together and getting to know each other outside of work!

ID:  There are a total of 10 pictures of CIL staff enjoying their time at Poe Springs Park.  

1)  Picture of Debbie (left) and Colette (right) smiling and sitting at one of the pavilion tables at the lodge.

2)  Picture of Medjina (left) and Claudia (right) smiling and sitting at one of the pavilion tables at the lodge. Medjina is giving the peace sign.

3)  Picture of (from left to right) Kevin, Alex and Holly smiling and sitting at one of the pavilion tables at the lodge.  Lauren is walking towards the table in the background.

4)  Picture of (from left to right) Claudia, Holly, Clara and Medjina, sitting on a blanket outside, playing the riddle game. The lodge and pavilion tables are in the background.

5)  Picture of (from left to right) Eric, Christie, Lucinda and Cammeron, standing in a group outside, playing the riddle game.

6)  Picture of (from left to right) Myrtle, Lauren and Brandon standing in a group outside, playing the riddle game.

7)  Picture of (from left to right) Kevin, Colette, Alex and Riley sitting in a group inside the lodge, playing the riddle game.

8)  Picture of (from left to right) Colleen, Debbie, Holly and Niusha, sitting outside on the deck of the lodge, playing the riddle game.

9)  Picture of Colleen (left) and Cammeron (right) playing cornhole outside.  Cammeron is getting ready to throw.

10) Picture of Sada playing cornhole outside.  Sada is throwing the bean bag.

Please enjoy this Amazing Give thank you video from our Executive Director, Tony Delisle. Thank you all so much again for your donations and support; we truly appreciate everyone who helped make this day a huge success! We ended up raising almost $9,000 for AgrAbility and our farmers with disabilities, our best year yet, and we could not have done this without you! Special thanks to our anonymous donors as well. You all helped make a huge difference and we are so very grateful!

VD: Tony stands by the CILNCF sign outside the CIL Gainesville office, sharing his thanks to our donors for their ongoing support.

From our community partners at The Able Trust, showcasing a wonderful experience with students from our Florida High School High Tech program:

Our Alachua, Levy and Putnam County #FloridaHSHT students and the team from the Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida had a fantastic experience at yesterday’s site visits in St. Augustine! The students learned about opportunities in fields like cosmetology, automotive services, nursery management, confectionery and so many more. Thank you so much to FCTC First Coast Technical College and Whetstone Chocolates for providing great tours and insights into a wide range of future careers!

ID: There are a total of 4 photos of HSHT students participating in av variety of different fields.
1) Three students pictured in a confectionery shop with a staff member speaking about the processes that takes place on a daily basis.
2) Students walking through an outdoor nursery, surrounded by plants
3) Four students pictured in an automotive shop, standing next to a silver car on a lift
4) Students pictured in a cosmetology shop with customers sitting in salon chairs, getting their hair done.

#TheAmazingGive has come to an end with donations totaling $7,794! and we couldn’t have done it without your generous support!

We appreciate our donors so much for going above and beyond. You’ve helped our community and have made a huge difference in the lives of our farmers with disabilities. On behalf of the CIL staff and consumers, thank you so much!

SPECIAL THANKS to our anonymous donor and Restoration Medical, LLC for their AMAZING matching gifts! You all ROCK and really helped us make a difference in the lives of our farmers with disabilities who need our help to continue farming!

Also, if you missed the giving day, don’t worry! Our donation page will remain open for donations until midnight on Sunday, April 23 rd ! So, there is still time to make an impact by visiting our donation link: https://www.theamazinggive.org/organizations/center-for-independent-living-of-north-central-florida

To see how your donations will support #farmers, #ranchers and other agriculture workers with a disability, please continue to follow us on social. You can also get up-to-date information by visiting our website: https://www.cilncf.org/

VD: Video shows staff saying thank you, both verbally and with sign language. The text “Thank you for supporting our giving day” on the left of the video, along with a heart. The Amazing Give logo is displayed directly below. The background of the video is a purple gradient with confetti.

The clock is ticking with only 3 hours left of the #AmazingGive2023! So far, our AMAZING donors have raised over $7,010 dollars! Thank you so much for your support! 

Let’s keep it going! You can support us and farmers with disabilities by visiting and sharing our Amazing Give page link below!

To support your community’s #farmers, donate to CIL’s Amazing Give: https://www.theamazinggive.org/organizations/center-for-independent-living-of-north-central-florida

ID: Post has a total of 5 graphics; graphics 2-5 displays The AgrAbility logo is displayed on the top left corner. The CILNCF and Amazing Give logo are displayed on the center bottom: 

Graphic #1 displays “3 hours left” in large, bold, red text. The Amazing Give logo is on the bottom center. The CILNCF logo is displayed on the top right corner. There is an image of a man getting into his tractor from his wheelchair as the background. There is a white overlay on top of the image.

Graphic #2 displays $50 in large white font, outlined in blue. There is text in the middle that says, “provides two ergonomic gardening tools that help with joint pain/arthritis”. The background image shows ergonomic gardening tools, with handles in 2 different shades of green. 

Graphic #3 displays $100 in large white font, outlined in green. There is text in the middle that says, “goes towards a Power Take Off link, helping ease strain on a farmer’s body”. The background image shows the Power Take Off link with a blue overlay. 

Graphic #4 displays $250 in large white font, outlined in light blue. There is text in the middle that says, “goes towards an Action Trackchair that allows for complete farm access”. The background image shows a man sitting in an Action Trackchair, with a green overlay. 

Graphic #5 displays $500 in large white font, outlined in turquoise. There is text in the middle that says, “goes towards a lift, allowing farmers independent access to their tractor”. The background image shows a man sitting on a lift being lifted into his tractor, with a purple overlay.