This past year has been a very trying time for many people in our community. With the new vaccine that has come out, we see the possibility of life going back to normal. Florida has established a vaccine registration website at https://myvaccine.fl.gov/

The following groups of individuals are elligible for the vaccine:
· Healthcare Personnel with Direct Patient Contact
· Individuals Deemed Extremely Vulnerable to COVID-19
· Individuals 65 Years of Age and Older
· Long-Term Care Facility Residents & Staff

Visiting the site below allows you to register to virtually “get in line” for a vaccine in your county so you can be contacted via phone, text or email when new appointments become available.

The first two categories of eligibility should be able to cover individuals with disabilities of all ages and personal care workers. The registration process does not request any proof of disability, so please make sure to check out the link and register for your vaccine.

Additionally, in coordination with the White House COVID-19 Response Plan, FEMA is working with federal, state, local, tribal and territorial partners to deliver vaccinations across the country. As part of these efforts, FEMA has made vaccine support information available on FEMA.gov. The webpage includes information on:

· How you can get vaccinated.
· FEMA support for vaccine distribution.
· The accelerated state vaccine efforts.
· Identifying and filling resource gaps.
· Supporting and establishing vaccine sites.

While the country is still in the initial phases of the vaccine distribution plan, we encourage everyone to follow the Center for Disease Control’s recommendations on staying safe during the pandemic.

Towards the end of December during the midst of the holiday season, the CIL was able to provide some essential items gifting for our consumers!

This opportunity was created from identifying the needs that were not just food, but also for bare necessities. Our consumers were gifted items that were specifically needed, such as cleansing wipes, toiletries, hygiene products, PPP and more.

Special thanks to the UF Disability Resource Center as they provided several bags of these needed items, and also to the Gainesville Housing Authority that assisted with distributing out the items! The consumers were unaware of their “Secret Gifting”, but were so thrilled and grateful for this small act of kindness. We were so glad we could offer this token of love to show our support in their lives during these uncertain and uneasy times.

Thank you Shera and all of our amazing volunteers for helping put this all together!

2020 was a difficult year for the world. Time to start fresh with 2021! Happy New Year from all of us here at the CIL!

Holidays are a time to spend with family and friends, eat good food and be thankful! After this especially challenging year, we have so much to be thankful for! We are thankful for our awesome consumers, dedicated staff, generous donors, and our surrounding community partners for their unwavering support. Because of your continued support, the CIL was able to serve nearly 2,400 people with disabilities this past year! You help us make a difference in so many lives throughout our community and we could not be more grateful. We wish you a safe, happy and healthy holiday season!

The CIL’s first rural food distribution during the time of COVID was to the ARC of Bradford County. From the moment we initiated contact to build the relationship, The ARC staff were exceptional. ARC staffer, Jennifer, was ready to send out the needed information to find interested group homes and those who were in need. She was able to connect us with at least 40 new consumers in Bradford County. When we arrived, the consumers and staff were ready with all hands-on deck. We had a station for signing consumers up, check-in for those whose paperwork was complete, a wellness check-in station, and pick-up for the food boxes. We played music and had consumers dancing and singing while learning more about the center. The day was a complete success, and we gained another community family with CIL.

We would like to thank our Toys for Tots partners! Every year they help our consumers have a wonderful holiday and make sure that families get a visit from Santa! This year we bagged toys for over 50 kids from 21 families. These bags were filled with games, dolls, and some awesome bikes!

Join us for our first Virtual Art Showcase! We are highlighting art of all mediums created by our community of people with disabilities. If you or a friend is interested, check out the details and register below.

Register Here – https://forms.gle/b74qkMQvaHxcaDNk7

Download Terms and Conditions Here – https://www.cilncf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Art-Showcase-CIL-website-1.docx

Our Thanksgiving Baskets Program was a success again this year! This last week the CIL was able to provide 20 of our consumers and their families with the basic needs for a great Thanksgiving meal. We were able to do with the help of Trinity Missions. They coordinate this amazing community wide program every year!

Happy Thanksgiving! On behalf of the CIL staff we hope everyone stays safe and enjoys their Thanksgiving meal. Be sure to save us some 🙂