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.

On the 17th of January, Andrea Melvin from the Ocala office conducted a soft skills workshop on Teamwork with “Project Looking Ahead” students at Hernando High School. The students worked in groups to build the tallest structure possible using only dry spaghetti and marshmallows. Everyone worked together and had a lot of fun! Team 3 made the tallest structure and they each received some sweet treats as a prize! 

Image description: light beige background with yellow stripes around the bottom left and top right corners. Gray dots are sprinkled around the right and left borders of the image. There are two pictures at the top half of the image and one picture at the bottom half of the students sitting around a circular table and building structures using marshmallows and dry spaghetti. The top two images from left to right are of Team 1 and Team 2 and the bottom image is of Team 3. “Team 3 congratulations!” is written across the top of the image. The CIL logo is in the bottom right corner of the graphic.  

The Florida Association of Centers for Independent Living (FACIL) is 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 Jimmy Smith’s comment below about how JPPAS has helped him!

“I have been called a success story by many. Not only because I survived a near death experience over 31 years ago; but I also overcame many adversities of life. God has blessed me with a full time position which allows me the opportunity to help others with disabilities. I attribute much of my success to the JPPAS Program which affords me the opportunity to live independently, through the employment of an assistant to support me in daily activities. Because of the JPPAS Program I am able to support my family with dignity, respect and financially.”

Image features a light blue background with the JPPAS logo in the top left corner and the FACIL logo in the bottom right corner. There are two pictures of Jimmy Smith seated in front of a table with a banner titled “Disabled Services, City of Jacksonville”. There are dark blue stars scattered around the graphic.

The CILNCF turned 40 on October 22nd of last year! In celebration of this milestone, the CIL will be highlighting one program every month this year. Read all about this month’s program highlight below!

The Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST) is the state of Florida’s assistive technology program. Assistive technology activities provided by the FAAST program will include device loans, device demonstrations, device reutilization, device training, information and assistance, and a statewide financing program for Floridians who have disabilities and their supporters. 

We are excited to get this program up and running and we’ll keep you all informed about it! If you would like to learn more about FAAST, visit their website by using this link: https://faast.org/

Image features a light blue background with green, teal, fuchsia, and blue confetti at the top. “CIL 40th year celebration” is written in a semicircle shape in a bright fuchsia shade across the middle of the image. Below it, “Thank you for helping us fulfill our mission to empower people with disabilities to achieve their goals for independence!” is written inside a smaller green half-oval shape. Below it, “January CIL program spotlight” is written above the FAAST logo. The CIL logo is found in the bottom right corner of the image and there are teal stars sprinkled randomly throughout the graphic.

The CIL is still working hard through the pandemic to help our consumers find affordable housing during these difficult times. One of our consumers received a housing voucher last year which enabled her to transition from an abuse shelter and sleeping in her car with her children, into a safe and affordable home earlier this month! The Gainesville Housing Authority’s mainstream voucher program, and the help she received from the Center for Independent Living, has completely turned her and her family’s life around for the better. Special thanks go out to our own Consumer Specialist Mark Brisbane, the Gainesville Housing Authority and Eric Davis with GRACE Marketplace for partnering together and making this happen for our consumer and her family!

Image description: blue watercolor background featuring 4 pictures. The top left is a uhaul in front of a blue house, the top right is an empty living room with a grey floor and white walls, the bottom left is a photo of Eric Davis from GRACE with the new owner of the house, and the bottom right is a kitchen with brown cabinets and a white stovetop and oven. In the top center of the graphic, the words “Thank you” are featured. The GRACE and CIL logos are in the top right corner of the graphic and the Gainesville Housing Authority logo can be found in the top left corner.

Our High School High Tech (HSHT) students are casting visions for the new year! At a recent workshop, HSHT students created vision boards of their future employment goals and hobbies using magazines. It was a fun time and Trey says he hopes to be a scientist or a computer technology specialist after graduation.

Image is a picture of Trey holding up his completed vision board.

The Florida Association of Centers for Independent Living (FACIL) is 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. 

Thomas Clemons has been using JPPAS for the last 5 years. Read Thomas’s comment below about how JPPAS has helped him become more involved in his community! 

“I live with quadriplegia resulting from a spinal cord injury. I require a high level of assistance with many daily activities including transferring in and out of the bed/wheelchair, dressing and meal preparation. There was a time that I was unable to return to work full time for fear of losing benefits tied to my level of income. The cost of maintaining personal care assistance without those benefits was impossible to maintain.

I have received PCA cost reimbursement through the JPPAS program over the last 5 years. The program has provided me with an opportunity to not only reduce my out-of-pocket expenses for necessary care, it has also given me the control in choosing my caregivers. Without the JPPAS program, I would not be able to successfully work full time and continue to contribute to my community. The program has leveled the playing field for me, helping to reduce the costs of maintaining the necessary assistance I need and maintaining a quality of consistent care.”

Image description: Image is a picture from the chest to the top of the head of Thomas Clemons in his home. 

Many thanks to Gainesville Fire Rescue’s Community Paramedicine Program for the opportunity to attend their third annual Community Health Fair! Our Community Specialist, Sada Ahmed, was able to represent the CIL, and it was a beautiful day to spread the word about our services.

Also, we were thrilled to learn that 15 vaccinations and 35 tests for COVID-19 were administered at the event! Until next year!

Image description: First image is a picture of Sada posing in front of the CIL table that includes brochures and information, with a huge field in the background and a blue sky.

Our Executive Director, Tony Delisle, wanted to share a message with you about his hopes for the new year, as we continue to navigate through the pandemic. Please read below!

It is my wish everyone has a healthy and happy New Year. I am hopeful we will have a year of progress and unity. I also recognize as a society we continue to face challenging circumstances.

Adaptability, resiliency, and perseverance are some of the important virtues people with disabilities develop throughout their lifetime to live independently. All of us will need to hold these virtuous close as we welcome and navigate the year 2022; a year the world is expected to continue living in the midst of a pandemic, see increasing inflation, and more social unrest. I believe all of us can triumph over these adversities if we learn the virtues people with disabilities embrace in their daily lives. In doing so we will adapt and accommodate to the obstacles before us; enduring through them with unstoppable resilience; overcoming division through the unity of our commonalities; and persevering as we always have throughout the history of humanity. People with disabilities posses all the world needs and it is up to us to lead the way by showing who we are as a united and resilient community. The CILNCF is committed more than ever in supporting those we serve in continuing to be the change the world needs.

Image is a picture of Tony posing with his arms up behind the Center for Independent Living sign posted to the side of 36th Terrace, near the Gainesville office.

Join us for a night of fun, prizes, and friends!

ION Gainesville is back for 2022, and they will be hosting their monthly virtual bingo nights every third Friday through May!

The first bingo night of the year will be THIS Friday, January 21st, from 7 pm to 8:15 pm. All young adults with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 30-ish are welcome! Check out the flyer for more information and we hope to see you there!

Image Description: Light pink background featuring the ION Gainesville logo in the middle of a tick tac toe pattern that looks like a bingo card, with Bingo images and stickers surrounding the logo that say the word bingo, the date and time of the upcoming bingo night in the top left box that reads, “January 21st, 7pm to 8:15pm”, and the dates of the upcoming bingo nights in the top right box that reads, “February 18th, March 18th, April 18th and May 20th”. The top of the flyer reads, “Bingo Friday Night Fun” in large pink bubble letters and below it in smaller, dark pink print it says, “Join us for Virtual Bingo, prizes, and friends for young adults with disabilities ages 18-30”. On the bottom of the flyer, the text reads, “If you want to join the bingo nights, email or call Trish Thoburn at: iongainesville@gmail.com; (352) 339 – 6278”.