As 2019 comes to a close, the AFCCA Board of Directors would like to reflect on all that we accomplished this year. Our mission is to advocate, educate and promote high ethical standards for our members and the families we serve.
Advocacy
- HB2188 -Relating to Funeral Interns, which passed under SB1245. Mortuary Science Graduates can now complete their embalmer and/or funeral director internship and become licensed within one year from graduation.
- SB1245 – Allowing authorized personnel able to pick up death certificates from Vital Records.
- HB2694 – Relating to Funeral Escorts (Held until 2020). Review Funeral Escort Selection Best Practices in the interim.
Nationally, AFCCA sent representation to advocate on two bills: The BRAVE Act which works to improve Veterans Burial Benefits and The “CDRI” Act which would work towards moving whole body donation into regulation.
We expect another busy legislative session as we continue getting to know new representation in the House and Senate.
Education
Our board had the opportunity to offer a free seminar, “An Evening with Lacy Robinson“, where we learned meaningful engagement with the families we serve. We have more free seminars for members coming in 2020!
The Cemetery Maintenance Seminar is always a big hit both educationally and with the Backhoe Rodeo competition. The invention competition this year yielded some great tools for cemeteries, check out the article if you haven’t!
In May, we celebrated the graduation of 31 rising Funeral Directors at the CGCC Mortuary Science Graduation and awarded the $1000 William Aaron scholarship to Amanda Dalton.
We held a successful Annual Conference at the Boulders Resort Scottsdale, where we celebrated Dr. Tom Taggart and wished him a very happy retirement.
Ethical Standards
In Arizona, there is no formal rule on what to do with metals left from cremation, however, in the best interest of all our members, we have begun promoting the idea of metal recycling and donating the funds to charities of your choice. Several members (including Mountain View Funeral Home, Cemetery and Crematory, Adair Funeral Homes, Sunwest Funeral Home, and Camino del Sol Funeral Chapel) have selected the AFCCA Foundation for Children as their choice charity, raising over $40,000 for children’s medical needs in 2019! These funeral homes have the opportunity to tell families that their loved ones helped keep AZ Children happy and healthy! Why You Should Be Involved in Your Recycling Process
There was so much more that your AFCCA Board of Director has done, and will do, for our members. Make sure you join the discussion in our private Facebook Group and keep up to date on website. Be sure to frequently visit our Member Benefits page for exclusive opportunities.
We truly appreciate your support year after year by renewing your membership, attending our events and getting involved in the industry.
We look forward to another great year in 2020!