Reasons To Smile

National Dog Day is Aug. 26 — an opportunity to celebrate man and woman’s best friend, and to help find loving homes for dogs in the community. Here are five ways to make a difference:

• Adopt a new best friend
• Spay and neuter.
• Foster first. Not ready to adopt? Fostering is a great option to provide a pet with space and time to decompress, while acclimating to life in a home.
• Give back. Volunteer to walk dogs, clean kennels, do laundry and other tasks at a shelter. Donations can be monetary or food, blankets, towels and even old newspapers.
• Utilize social media. Share posts to create more awareness to help dogs find foster or adoptive homes.

The GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club raised $500 to cover the cost of member Shirley Willhite’s flight to escort veteran Bob Prairie to tour the memorials and monuments in Washington D.C., through Honor Flight West Central Florida. Prairie is a Vietnam veteran who served in the Navy. Seventy-five veterans were recognized on the 50th Honor Flight to visit Arlington Cemetery, the Korean War and World War II memorials, the Jefferson Memorial and the Lincoln Monument. The return flight at the St. Petersburg/Clearwater airport was greeted with applause, music and flag-waving. For more information about the woman’s club, visit GFWCLutzLandOLakesWomansClub.org or its Facebook page.

AdventHealth Zephyrhills is celebrating the wins of Team USA at the Olympics in Paris with a surprise for new parents at the Baby Place. During the games, all babies born at the hospital will get an AdventHealth onesie and extras to show off their Team USA support. Here, baby Dylan, takes first place in cuteness!

Almost three dozen new firefighters started their careers with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue this month — all of whom graduated from Fire Academy and are certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). The recruit class received new station and shift assignments, putting them in fire houses from VanDyke to Sun City and from Citrus Park to Apollo Beach.

Scouting America, under the direction of Reed Wilson of South Tampa, conducted a day of service at Liberty Manor for Veterans for the purpose of Wilson earning his Eagle Scout award, the highest rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program by the Boy Scouts of America. Liberty Manor promotes the developmental and social needs of disabled and honorably discharged veterans who have fallen victim to homelessness providing transitional, supported housing and establishing objectives designed to attribute to self-sufficiency.

National Ice Cream Day is July 21: Treat yourself to a frozen delight at one of these local shops:

Ice Dreamm Shop (two locations):

23912 State Road 54, Suite 2, Lutz (behind Big Apple Bagel)

The Grove at Wesley Chapel, 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., #101

National Chocolate Pudding Day is June 26. Children and adults alike love chocolate pudding and have done so for generations. Usually eaten as a snack or dessert, chocolate pudding is also used as a filling for chocolate crème pie. Celebrate by having it as a dessert or snack, or layer it with broken cookies or candy bars and whipped cream to create a trifle dessert. You can also use chocolate pudding to make parfaits.

Munah, a Malayan tapir baby, has made her official habitat debut at ZooTampa, 1101 W. Sligh Ave., going for her first swim. Zoo guests can stop by the tapir habitat on their next visit to see this little girl. Visit ZooTampa.org for information.