Friday Fun: Start your engines

Posted on May 23, 2014 by jeffcuz

It’s the beginning of the Memorial Day holiday weekend, and from the looks of Interstate 4, many people are already heading out of town.

For me, it will be three days of work after taking off so much time for Canine Companions for Independence team training and our recent stay at Florida Hospital for Children.

We’re making progress with J.P., so it’s probably best to just lie low and try to get caught up on all the things we missed over the past two weeks. I’m hoping to at least get a couple of runs in and maybe a lunch or dinner out.

With everything settling down, it’s time for Friday Fun. There are a couple of things I saw this week that were rather cute.

Remote-control car giveaway: Patients at Florida Hospital for Children got an unexpected gift this week thanks to the folks at CenturyLink. Thirty-five cars were donated to the kids by CenturyLink employees and executives as part of a team-building exercise. The cars were put together during the exercise.

“Our hope is that by donating the remote-control cars to the hospital, we can bring smiles to children’s faces and promote healing through positive interactions,” CenturyLink Vice President and General Manager Erik Genrich said.

“It’s very important to keep the minds of our patients distracted with fun activities while going through the healing process,” Florida Hospital for Children Administrator Marla Silliman said. “We value our partners like CenturyLink who give back as a way to help our patients return to good health.”

Memorial Day Canine Companion — A Canine Companion is ready for Memorial Day.

Memorial Day pups: Canine Companions for Independence shared this photo Thursday as a reminder of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The “Today” show also featured a segment Friday on how veterans are using service dogs to gain independence after the emotional and physical scars of battle. Click here to read the story.

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend and remembers the true meaning of the holiday.