Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
May your pathway be easy,
May your spirit be strong,
And may luck always follow you,
All your life long!
CILNCF wishes you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Virtual Bingo Night this Friday for Young Adults with Disabilities!
This Friday, March 19th from 7pm to 8:15pm, ION Gainesville is hosting their monthly Zoom bingo night for young adults with disabilities aged 18-30ish!
If you or someone you know would like to play bingo with them, please RSVP by Thursday March 18th at 9 pm. They will then send you a link and bingo cards. If you know of another young adult with varying abilities who would like to join, feel free to share.
Important COVID-19 Vaccine Update!
We wanted to share some important information about the most recent updates about the COVID vaccinations for you and your family and friends to share.
People of any age who are considered vulnerable to COVID and can get a physician to sign off on this, can get the vaccine. People with disabilities and those with secondary health conditions associated with COVID (heart disease, respiratory disease, diabetes) are considered vulnerable.
Please see attached Vulnerability Form that must be signed by a physician to get the vaccine. The second image has a QR code that can be scanned by a smart phone and will provide the same Vulnerability Form that is needed for a physician to sign.
The Amazing Give 2021 is Coming Soon – Save the Date!
The CIL is participating in the Amazing Give, Workday Edition, on April 22nd from 7am to 7pm! Please save the date and spread the word to help us reach our fundraising goal of $10,000!
This year, Amazing Give donations will go towards our services with the most need: Housing, Employment, and our Youth Programs.
Keep an eye out for our upcoming spring newsletter, and remember to follow and stay tuned on our social media accounts, as we will be sharing CIL success stories leading up to the event.
Thank you in advance for your amazing support!
Center for Independent Living Jacksonville with Tyler Morris
Tyler Morris is the Executive Director for The Center For Independent Living Jacksonville, covering a 5 county catchman area. His phenomenal staff at CIL Jacksonville provide a wide variety of services to the communities they serve. On this episode, we get to hear insights from Tyler ranging from equality, diversity, intersectionality to disaster preparedness related to people with disabilities. We also spend time talking about the youth and their leadership role in the future of disability. In this new age, Tyler discussed different and creative ways to market Centers For Independent Living so that we can ensure we do the work to get the word out there about how CILs can help people achieve their independent goals.
To learn more and to connect with CIL Jacksonville, visit: https://www.ciljacksonville.org/
SPEAKERS: Tyler Morris, Tony Delisle
Continue readingCILNCF Building Independence!
Although COVID hit us hard, the CIL was still able to build a new deck and stairs last fall for Mr. John Gonzales, a disabled Air Force Veteran.
Before Mr. Gonzales received his deck and stairs, he worried for his safety. Since receiving his deck and stairs, it has brought more security and independence to Mr. Gonzales as access to his house became easier.
Thanks to Custom Designs Renovations, his new deck and stairs was able to be built. We appreciate Mark Brisbane, Consumer Specialist for the CIL, for assisting in making Mr. Gonzales feel safer and more confident in his home.
Service Animals and Human Services with Laura Lee Putzback
Laura Lee strives to empower individuals with disabilities to become highly skilled service dog handlers who have access to a safe and inclusive community. As advisory board chair for New Life Medical Service Dogs, Inc. she co-authored the person-centered curriculum which focuses on awareness and impact of disability when using a service animal, dog handling skills, and the rights and responsibilities of service animal owners. She is certified by the University of Missouri as an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) coordinator. As the lead advocate with the Service Dog Alliance of Florida, she conducts business and community education, manages the warm line to support service dog handlers and local businesses with information and referral services, and assists handlers in navigating employment, housing, transportation, and pubic access issues. She has 30+ years’ experience in the delivery, design and management of public and private health and human services. She has managed community-based programs for the disabled and elderly. Laura Lee is a two-time recipient of the City of Virginia Beach Creativity in Public Service Award (1993 & 1997). As a volunteer her leadership has built organizational capacity. Those roles have included: George Dame Federally Qualified Health Center Vice President, Leadership Citrus Board of Governors Chair, NAMI Florida Board of Directors, Florida Local Advocacy Council (Gubernatorial Appointed) vice-chair and United Way of Citrus County Treasurer.
Americans with Disabilities Act https://www.ada.gov/
ADA Coordinator Training Certification Program https://www.adacoordinator.org/default.aspx
Service Dog Alliance of Florida: 352-410-6500 / servicedogaf@hotmail.com
SPEAKERS: Laura Lee Putzback, Tony Delisle
Continue readingJoin us for CIL Activities in March!
Please check out our March calendar of online activities below! To learn more about how to join us for any of our classes, please contact Terri Poucher at 352-378-7474 or tpoucher@cilncf.org.
Center for Independent Living of South Florida with Peter O’Connell
Peter O’Connell is the Executive Director for The Center for Independent Living of South Florida, located in downtown Miami. Peter and his staff serve a diverse population, staying true to the independent living (IL) philosophy, and therefore, all of our services are person-centered. The consumer, along with their family and/or support system, identify the services needed, and together with CIL staff, map out a plan that guides every consumer in achieving their independent living goals.
For more information about The Center for Independent Living of South Florida visit https://www.cilsf.org/
SPEAKERS: Peter O’Connell, Tony Delisle
Continue readingCOVID-19 Vaccine Updates
Please read below for updated COVID-19 information and resources that you can use during this time. We will continue to post updates as we receive them from the state. Please continue to stay safe and reach out if you need any help or additional information.