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Security National Financial Corporation Introduces its new Loyalty Sales Division SALT LAKE CITY,UT— Security National Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: SNFCA) announced a new sales division within Security National Life Insurance Company. Adam Quist, President of SNL, said: “We are pleased to announce that Security National Life has partnered with Latinos Unidos to lead our new Loyalty Sales Division. This new undertaking focuses on providing final expense plans that are both versatile and tailored to the unique needs of our customers and insurance agents. Additionally, we are excited to introduce a new, exclusive service: the Loyalty Family Support Plan. Through this plan, we offer a dedicated funeral concierge to support beneficiaries during one of life’s most challenging times—the loss of a loved one. Mr. Quist continued, “We are honored that Latinos Unidos has chosen to align with Security National Life. Our partnership with Latinos Unidos is built on a foundation of shared values and an unwavering commitment to the families we serve. We are delighted to further expand our presence in the final expense market.” Noemi Ortega, founder of Latinos Unidos, commented, “We are grateful to be joining Security National Life, a financially strong organization that shares our vision, values, and passion for helping families. Security National recognizes the importance and value of funeral services, as they own and operate many funeral homes and cemeteries. Additionally, Security National has a significant presence in and understanding of the pre-need market. Because of Security National’s specialization in the funeral business, we can offer clients the added value of the Loyalty Family Support Plan, a true funeral concierge service, combined with the excellent Loyalty Whole Life product. With the added strength of Security National, we look forward to growing our footprint and enhancing the personalized service we provide to our client families.” For more information, visit www.securitynational.com. Green Burial Council 2024 Leadership Award Lee Webster FOLSOM,CA— The board of directors of the Green Burial Council (GBC) has named Lee Webster as the recipient of the 2024 Leadership Award. In honor of Earth month, the GBC’s leadership award is presented to “an individual or organization that demonstrates foresight, innovation and extraordinary commitment to the environment in the area of human death-care practices.” Lee Webster is an internationally known educator, author, and advocate for funeral reform, home funerals, and green burial. She has served in leadership positions with the National Home Funeral Alliance and Green Burial Council as president, and co-founder and board member of the Conservation Burial Alliance, National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s End-of-Life Doula Council. She is also the longtime director of New Hampshire and Vermont Funeral Resources & Education and co-designer of the Funeral Partnership. org series of state-specific funeral resource websites. In nominating Webster, it was said that her “full career of contributions indicates her lasting legacy.” It’s hard to argue with this when you consider her published works and continuous educational efforts. Books she has authored include: The After-Death Care Educator Handbook (an updated compilation of previously published work), contributions to The Future of the Corpse: Our Changing Places and Perceptions of the Dead, and Changing Landscapes: Exploring the growth of ethical, compassionate, and environmentally sustainable green funeral service. She designed the first GBC-certification course for funeral professionals and co-teaches the Green Burial Masterclass for cemetery operators. Along with the many contributions she has made to other publications are the educational programs she continues to teach in mortuary schools, universities, senior programs, and public venues. “I can’t tell you how much it means to be recognized this way for this work,” she responded on hearing the news. “More importantly, it feels good to have been even a small part of the legacy of this great organization. The GBC demonstrates what can happen when we dedicate ourselves to advancing cultural and environmental changes around death practices. Truly grateful, thank you.” The Green Burial Council is a nonprofit environmental certification and education organization that sets standards for natural burial in North America. Their mission is to promote the protection of worker health, reduce carbon emissions, conserve natural resources, and preserve habitat through environmentally responsible after-death practices. The GBC provides guidelines that include using certified biodegradable products and foregoing toxic chemicals and vaults during burial in approved green cemeteries throughout the United States and Canada. Deregulation of our industry and the loosening of licensure requirements devalues a funeral director, from my perspective. Members of our profession need to re-examine the inherent worth of the license that we all worked so hard to attain. I feel strongly that older funeral directors, who passed a state examination, rather than a national one, should be grandfathered in. But all current and future mortuary students must have national certification to ensure the integrity and strength of our profession. State governing boards also need to protect funeral directors from the bastardization of our profession with job titles and responsibilities named similarly such as “funeral disposer, funeral arranger, funeral transporter, and funeral supervisor.” Such names are confusing to consumers and trivialize the licensed funeral director. A licensed funeral director should have the same meaning to all who reside in the fifty United States states and Canadian provinces that the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards oversees. As professionals, funeral directors need to take a more active role in ensuring the continuation and success of our life’s work. Regulation is a good thing. Raising the education requirement is a good thing. Requiring a passing result on the National Board is a good thing. It is a transitional time for funeral homes: property values are rising, consolidation of funeral homes is occurring frequently with multiple funeral home registrations occupying one physical building, and some states are reporting licensed funeral director shortages. Deregulation will hasten the diminishment of our licenses. If we act now, as one united force, we can start to attract young educated professionals- offering more competitive salaries, benefits packages, and retirement options, as well as entrée into a dignified, respected profession that promotes a standard of excellence. Our industry leaders need to work with legislators to enact passage of laws to protect consumers, especially in regard to pre-need and at-need funerals in all states. My literary paragon- Ralph Waldo Emmerson, oft called to mind when writing these missives, said it best, “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” So, let us all be funeral directors. Sincerely, Vincent C. Carey, New York State Licensed Funeral Director Martin A. Gleason Funeral Home, Flushing, NY Letter to the Editor Continued from Page A2
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