Our Wheelchair Ramp Building Program continues to move and groove! Two wheelchair ramps were recently built for consumers Lonnie Davis and Jeanette Cobb. Both consumers were having severe health issues and chronic pain that prevented them from climbing the stairs that led into their own homes, limiting their independence and community access. Because of the CIL and Custom Design Renovations, both of our consumers can now enter and leave their homes with ease and no longer feel isolated, but empowered and independent!

Special Thanks to David Hilman with Custom Design Renovations, an amazing CIL community partner, for continuing to help the CIL fulfill our mission, To empower people with disabilities to achieve their goals for independence!

The picture to the left is Lonnie’s completed ramp, leading up to the front door of his beige house. The picture to the right is Jeanette’s completed ramp, leading up to the side door of her blue house.

Hurricane season may have come to an end, but our Emergency Preparedness Program runs strongly throughout the year thanks to our Consumer Specialist, Kevin Towles!

In our catchment area, he serves as the Vice Chair for the Emergency Support Functions (ESF) 8 Group in Sumter County. The ESF 8 Group distributed coins as awards to all of the Chairs and Vice Chairs for their hard work, especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The picture shows Kevin presenting Tony with his coin for being the CIL Executive Director, and supporting Kevin in his leadership role with the ESF 8 Group.in Sumter County. Great job Kevin for all of your dedication and diligence with our Emergency Preparedness Program and serving people with disabilities!

This past month, our Community Specialist, Sada Ahmed, went to Lake City to collect a Durable Medical Equipment (DME) donation from a community member named Bonnie. The haul included wheelchairs, canes, crutches, and a number of spare parts. When Bonnie purchased her home, these items had been left behind in the shed. We are grateful that she got connected with us at CILNCF to help find this DME a new home!

The CILNCF DME Closet provides wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches, scooters and sliding boards. If you or someone you know is in need of any DME supplies to assist with their independent living, please call Sada at 352-378-7474 or e-mail her at sahmed@cilncf.org for more information.

Have a holly jolly time at the CIL! Please check out our latest December calendar of online activities! On Tuesday, the Youth Leadership and Social Group runs from 3:30 PM-5:00 PM. On Wednesday, Independence Hacks (ILS) runs from 10:30 AM-12:00 PM. Everything can be reached on Zoom through the meeting ID: 352 378 7474 and password: cilclass. If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please contact Terri Poucher at 352-378-7474 or tpoucher@cilncf.org. We hope to see you there!

This month the CIL Independent Living Skills (ILS) team gathered and bagged craft items for the December ILS groups. During December, we always focus on “Giving of Ourselves” and once our consumers get the crafts made and wrapped, they will have some handmade gifts to give to others for the holiday season. Special Thanks to our ILS Coordinator Terri Poucher for organizing this great activity for our consumers!

The CIL is so thankful for each and every one of you! Wishing you and your families a very Safe, Healthy and Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Thanksgiving Baskets Program with Trinity Missions was a great success again this year! The CIL was able to provide 20 Thanksgiving Baskets to our consumers and their families who needed some extra help to enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. We are so thankful for our continued partnership with Trinity Missions! They coordinate this amazing program and make all of this possible not just for the CIL, but for so many other agencies in our community!

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.

JR Harding, Author, Speaker and Advocate, has been utilizing JPPAS for years. Read JR’s comment below about his experience utilizing JPPAS!

“Working, contributing to the community, and supporting my family is the most powerful way I have found to free myself from the “feeling” of being disabled. The JPPAS workforce incentive program helps me recruit, train, and retain personal care assistants (PCA’s). Without these dedicated individuals, I could not work, make a difference, and/or support my family. Thank you!”

Check out the links to learn more about the program and the application!

https://www.floridacils.org/JPPASOverview.html

http://www.floridacils.org/pca-services-program

The CIL wants our consumers to Stay Smart and Stay Safe when it comes to using their cell phones! Join our CIL Youth Leadership and Social Group for a discussion on cell phone safety and safe practices for cell phone use. We can’t wait to see you there! 

Zoom username: 3523787474
Passcode: cilclass

We would like to highlight some happenings in our High School High Tech (HSHT) program. Our HSHT coordinator Drew has been very busy recruiting students to join the program this fall. This past week, Drew provided students with information about HSHT at Newberry High School. We look forward to new students joining the program and benefitting from all that HSHT has to offer! If you or anyone you know is interested in joining HSHT, please be sure to reach out to us!