NFDA Advocacy Summit Report by Steve Palmer

ADVOCACY SUMMIT by Steve Palmer Wednesday & Thursday March 6 & 7, 2013 Washington, DC   Speakers: REP. STEVE SOUTHERLAND (R-Florida): He is a licensed funeral director and owner of the Southerland Funeral Home of Panama City. He spoke about Core competency; what you are most comfortable with? When you leave your core competency, things go bad. Southerland said the government is way outside their core competency as they assume more and more services and …

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2013 William Aaron Scholarship Recipient: Congratulations Hallie Keating

The AFCCA is dedicated to promoting the further development of professional, ethical, responsive death care providers that are a credit to the industry. This is why the  William Aaron Scholarship Program was created for current Mortuary Science students at Mesa Community College. Each year, AFCCA offers a scholarship to a 2nd year student, with a B or better grade point average. The scholarship is valued at $1,000. Applicants that meet the criteria are asked to submit …

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January Foundation for Children Update

Look who the Foundation for Children helped in January! Sunnyside Unified School District in Tucson: Los Amigos Elementary, Tucson: two students, both the age of 7, received vision services Sierra Middle School: a student, age of 14, received vision services Sunnyside High School: Three students, ages of  15, 17 and 18, received vision services and new glasses Saddle Mountain Unified School District, Buckeye Tartesso Elementary School: A student, age of 12, received vision services  Dysart …

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2013 Cemetery Maintenance Seminar Recap!

Wednesday, February 6th was the annual AFCCA Maintenance Seminar, where cemetery staff, supervisors, and managers gather to increase knowledge, learn new skills and hear about innovations when caring for cemetery grounds. This year’s seminar was hosted by Amie Gazda, General Manager of Valley of the Sun Mortuary and Cemetery. The grounds were beautiful and quite accommodating  We appreciate everything Amie and her staff did to make sure that the attendees and vendors were comfortable. The day …

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CNBC’s Documentary “Death: It’s a Living” Response

On Thursday, January 31, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, 8 p.m. CT, CNBC will air a one-hour documentary Death: It’s a Living, which explores funeral service, a business that CNBC says “everyone confronts yet few understand.” Without knowing exactly what this documentary will entail before it airs, we do know that respected funeral professionals from the NFDA and other funeral service associations, funeral homes, suppliers, industry consultants and mortuary science educators assisted CNBC in preparing this documentary. While these representatives …

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VA Announces New Online Resources for Funeral Directors

Article Source: NFDA.Org Washington, d.C. – The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today the availability of the new online funeral directors resource kit. Funeral directors nationwide can use the kit when helping veterans and their families make burial  arrangements in VA national cemeteries. “We recognize that veterans and their families need compassion when they approach funeral directors for help,” said Eric K. Shinseki, secretary of Veterans Affairs. “We want to assist directors by giving them …

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2013 Cemetery Maintenance Seminar Speaker Line-up Announced!

Your AFCCA is excited to announce the line up for this year’s 2013 Cemetery Maintenance Seminar! “Bury, but not Buried” Trench Safety Precautions presented by Trafficade Work Zone “Avoiding Knicks and Getting A Close Pave”  Basic Road Maintenance Techniques presented by Cholla Pavement “Batteries not Included”   A Two-part Guide to Small Equipment Maintenance presented by Horizon Equipment “How to Raise the Dead” Automated External Defibrillator demonstration presented by Cintas First Aid & Safety “Stopping Criminal Minds” …

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Missing in America Project: Ceremony to Lay to Rest Forgotten Veterans

Missing In America project Veterans’ Recovery Program  News Advisory/Press Release CEREMONY TO LAY TO REST FORGOTTEN VETERANS  The public and media are invited to attend –   MIAP Public invitation 2-27-13 On Wednesday, February 27, 2013, the Missing In America Project (MIAP), Veterans Recovery Program will honor 28 Unclaimed Cremated Remains of Arizona Veterans.  There will be a Motorcycle Escort from Hansen Desert Hills Mortuary, 6500 E. Bell Rd, Scottsdale, AZ to National Memorial Cemetery …

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Becoming an AFCCA Member is Easier than Ever!

Why should you join the Arizona Funeral, Cemetery & Cremation Association?  Only you can answer that question for yourself.  But for me, education is why I joined the AFCCA.  For a long time, I knew that our great state had an association.  Beyond this, however, I had no real grasp of what the association did for our state and our industry.  I was curious and wanted to find out more. So, I started attending meetings as a guest, …

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Our Thoughts and Prayers to those Affected in Newtown, CT

Hello, I am Kurtis Lauffer, the President of the Arizona Funeral Cemetery and Crematory Association. On Friday December 14,  I, along with millions of people in Arizona and this great Nation were touched and saddened when we heard the news of what had happened in the small town of Newtown, Connecticut. Even though all the details and questions of why are still unknown, we do know that 20 first grade students and six brave adults …

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