January 2019

Page A20 JANUARY 2019 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A Funeral Directors Research,Inc. AMRA INSTRUMENT, LLC 623 N. Tower (P.O. Box 359) Centralia, WA 98531 “the shorter the supply line the better off you are” TM ® WEB DIRECT GIFT & PRICING www.amrainstruments.com www.preproomdirect.com IN THE DEATH CARE INDUSTRY Dedicated and focused, Bill’s knowledge and experience of the death care industry provides you with value added services in connection with audited financial statements, trust fund compliance audits, multi-state taxation and much more. Bill Newman, CPA Partner withum.com It’s a new year! What can you do differently this year to make a real difference? Let’s talk about Aftercare and Pre-Need! I would like to talk about community outreach events and how aftercare and pre-need can be equally a part of the event. It is my opinion that these events would be an acceptable opportunity to provide information about pre-need. Brochures can be displayed along with also very receptive to talking about pre-need and tak- ing information with them! If done tastefully and combined with “real” aftercare, families seem to be more interested in pre-need. It makes perfect sense that an aftercare program should be just as pro-active as your preneed out- reach program efforts and vice versa. Both complete the full services that a funeral home provides to the families they serve. How would you define your af- tercare program and your pre-need outreach pro- gram? Are you putting the same effort and fund- ing into both? If you want more information about Mitch and his beautiful workshops, please email me at: lf6643@yahoo.com . By Linda Findlay Aftercare 101 Linda Findlay is the founder of Mourning Discoveries, Grief Support Services. She is a 28 year career “Aftercare Coordinator,” a published author, an advocate for bereaved families and the found- er and co-creator of Journeys of Hope Grief Support Outreach Programs, coordinating and hosting seminars and events, includ- ing the first and only Bereavement Cruise that provides extensive programming exclusively for grieving families. Linda has developed comprehensive aftercare programs that are used in over 300 funer- al homes in 25 states. Linda has supported and worked with thou- sands of grieving families across this country. She has visited and provided support for grieving families in their homes and through Funeral Homes, Hospices and faith-based organizations. She has created, facilitated, participated in and coordinated hundreds of workshops, services of remembrances, and support groups. Linda is a lay counselor for a Christian Care Ministry in Greenville SC. Her highest honor is to enter people’s lives and help make a differ- ence. Linda can be reached at 315-725-6132 or you can visit her websites at www.mouringdiscoveries.com and www.j3hhh.com , or email Lf6643@yahoo.com . www.nomispublications.com Funeral Home & Cemetery News Contributors share insights and exchange ideas. B logs the easier it becomes! I have also found that the more events you hold, the greater the attendance year after year! It is of the utmost importance that you find the right people who will be speaking and presenting. The highest paid and high- ly credentialed presenters may not be the best choice! It’s the people who serve the bereaved, who have made it their life work and who have a story to share, that are the best pre- senters. They are not in it for the money. They are in it with their hearts! They are highly qualified, compassionate, ap- proachable and relatable candidates. I have a dear friend and colleague, Mitch Carmody , who I have worked with for years. Mitch created the Nation- al Grief Support Team . When he was asked to coordinate a Day of Healing in May 2018, for the community of I find that when a funeral home reaches out to a family with quality grief support, the family is more receptive to information about pre-need. They don’t feel like someone is trying to sell them something. “They are trying to sell me something I don’t want and I don’t need.” This is exactly what I have been told, year after year when families are presented with pre-need information and nothing else! These types of events are very beneficial to grieving families and add to the personal touch that your af- tercare program has already extended, with the added benefit of supporting the grieving and care providers in your community. Most funeral homes hold these events during the Holiday Season. You may want to consider hosting a grief support outreach event at least a couple of times a year! Grievers are everywhere, all year long! I know that it is a huge, “undertaking”, to put togeth- er a community outreach event. I find that if you have a good model and format, the more you hold these events, other resource materi- al. Providing informa- tion about how you sup- port grieving families has no better place to be displayed than at one of these events. That being said, I have yet to see any of the above mentioned at a community outreach event that I have partici- pated in or attended. the Parkland School shoot- ing in Florida, he was able to secure over 100 of his fellow grief support specialists. They came from across the country, to travel to Florida, on their own dime to provide the most special day of healing that I have ever seen and that I have ever been a part of! I believe that we need a day of healing, just like the one provided in Florida, in every community, at least once a year! “When you are grieving, in early grief, you need some- one to get down in the ditch with you and just be there. When you are able to stand, you need someone to steady you. When you take those baby steps on your journey, you need a helping hand to step alongside you.” This is what Mitch provides to the bereaved. Please consider your presenters very carefully! I recently accompanied Mitch to a holiday program where he was the keynote presenter. People were interest- ed in what he had to offer, they just loved him. I sat at his display table and confirmed, once again, that they were ORLANDO,FL— Foundation Partners Group (FPG) has announced the ac- quisition of Heritage Memorial Fu- neral Home & Crematory in War- ner Robins, GA. With this acquisition, Heritage Memorial becomes the second Foundation Partners location in Geor- gia, joining Glen Haven Memorial Gardens in Macon. “Heritage Memorial makes a great ad- dition to our growing portfolio of fu- neral operations,” stated Bob Bukala, president and CEO of Foundation Part- ners Group. “Owner Kim Harris and her team at Heritage Memorial have set a high standard of service for their fam- ilies and their community that perfect- ly matches ours. We are very proud to have Kim and her team join FPG and help us grow our presence in Georgia.” Heritage Memorial Funeral Home & Crematory was founded in 1994 by Harris’ father, Rabun O. Smith, after selling his original funeral business he had owned since 1969. Upon Smith’s passing in 2008, Harris took over own- ership and day-to-day management of the firm. “Recently, our funeral home reached a critical point related to future growth and I realized I couldn’t go it alone,” com- mented Harris. “As I explored a sale and evaluated my options, everything I read and learned about FPG resonated with me. They are sincere in their approach to the business and their views on commu- nity involvement align with ours at Her- itage Memorial. I know that my father would be pleased with my decision to af- filiate with Foundation Partners.” “It is the strategy of Foundation Partners to partner with the outstanding indepen- dent operators in the funeral profession,” stated  Erin Whitaker, Sr., vice president of business development at FPG. “In the past twenty years, Heritage Memorial has built a highly successful operation from scratch in the Warner Robins area and we look forward to our partnership as they continue to serve families in Georgia’s heartland region.” Foundation Partners Group (FPG) is a leading provider of innovative funeral and cemetery experiences and products. As one of the largest privately-owned fu- neral and cemetery operators, FPG owns and operates funeral homes, cremation centers and cemeteries in 17 states and is actively seeking to expand its locations throughout the United States. With head- quarters in Orlando, FL, FPG is commit- ted to revolutionizing the funeral profes- sion through their innovative ShareLife® customer experience-centered approach and harnessing the power of relationship and partnership. For more information, visit the Foundation Partners Group web- site at www.foundationpartners.com. Heritage Memorial Joins Foundation Partners Group PO Box 5159 Youngstown, OH 44514 Fax 1-800-321-9040 press_releases@nomispublications.com www.nomispublications.com Send Us Your News! Your Real Source. Anywhere. Anytime.