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JANUARY 2015
FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS
S ec t i on A
NEWS
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ask questions and share information about what has
transpired during their meetings. Light refreshments
will be available.
The evening of March 4th, summit attendees can
attend a reception with complimentary beverages and
light appetizers, in the historic foyer of the Rayburn
House office building. NFDA will invite members
of congress and their staff to attend this reception,
which will give attendees an opportunity to continue
building relationships with their elected officials.
On Thursday, March 5th, the morning’s focus issue
will be mass-fatality management.
Jeff Beatty,
a na-
tionally-renowned expert on mass-fatality incidents,
will offer a keynote address. Following Beatty’s talk,
a panel of funeral service experts will discuss ways in
which the profession can effectively respond to mass-
fatality incidents so the dignity of the dead is pre-
served and families can honor their loved ones with
a meaningful funeral or memorial service. The panel
will consist of:
W. Scott Smith, Heritage Crematory,
Plano, TX who cremated the body of Thomas Duncan,
the first man to die of an Ebola infection in the Unit-
ed States;
David R. Patterson, Global Mortuary Af-
fairs,
Mesquite, TX, who worked with Smith to care
for Duncan and is experienced with handling mass-fa-
tality incidents; and
Alysia English,
executive director
of the
Georgia Funeral Directors Association.
Summit attendees can earn one CE credit for the key-
note speaker and one CE credit for the panel discussion.
Following the morning’s speakers, attendees have the
option of participating in an exclusive tour of Arling-
ton National Cemetery with Superintendent Lechner
Jr. Following an operational overview of the cemetery,
attendees will visit
President John F. Kennedy’s
grave,
participate in an NFDA wreath laying at the Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier, and witness the changing of the
guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Following the visit to the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier, tour participants will be able to witness a
full-honors military funeral at Arlington National
Cemetery – for many this will be a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity.
New Congress, New Opportunities: NFDA Revamps
Advocacy Summit Schedule to Deliver Greater Value
BROOKFIELD,WI—
Members of
the National Fu-
neral Directors Association
(NFDA) will make their
way to the nation’s capitol for the association’s 2015
Advocacy Summit. The 2015 Advocacy Summit will
be critical because of the changes following the 2014
midterm elections; NFDA needs its members to help
educate newly-elected members of congress and in-
cumbents about the current issues impacting the pro-
fession. To help funeral professionals more effective-
ly reach out to congress, and deliver greater value to
summit attendees, NFDA has reinvigorated the con-
ference by revising the schedule of events and offering
opportunities to earn continuing education credits.
The revitalized Advocacy Summit will kick-off on
Tuesday, March 3rd with an orientation session. Dur-
ing this session NFDA staff and congressional staffers
will share best practices for conducting effective vis-
its with members of Congress. Orientation attendees
will also have a chance to participate in and observe a
mock “Hill visit” to prepare them for meetings with
congressional representatives.
On Wednesday, March 4th, the Advocacy Summit
will welcome guest speakers who will address issues
related to the care of veterans, military personnel and
their families. NFDA has invited a keynote speaker
from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Fol-
lowing the keynote address, a panel of experts from
the VA and Department of Defense will share insights
and answer questions on issues such as military funer-
al honors, burial at VA cemeteries, unclaimed veteran
remains, funeral and burial benefits for veterans and
their families, and VA reimbursement. The panel will
consist of:
Deborah Skillman,
director of Casualty,
Mortuary Affairs and Military Funeral Honors, De-
partment of Defense;
Jack E. Lechner, Jr,
CFSP, su-
perintendent of
Arling-
ton National Cemetery,
Department of Defense;
and
Kimberly Wright,
National Cemetery Ad-
ministration Office of
Field Programs, Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs.
Summit
participants
who attend the VA panel
discussion can earn one
CE credit. NFDA ex-
pects to confirm the key-
note and panel speakers
in the weeks to come.
Following the panel
presentation, summit at-
tendees will, in conjunc-
tion with funeral profes-
sionals from their state,
meet with their legisla-
tors. During these crit-
ical meetings, NFDA
members can take a pro-
active approach to ad-
vancing legislation that
protects funeral consum-
ers and benefits the pro-
fession and small busi-
nesses. NFDA expects to
announce the key issues
on which members will
advocate in early 2015
after the new session of
congress begins and leg-
islation impacting funer-
al service has been intro-
duced.
While NFDA members
are advocating on Capi-
tol Hill on Wednesday,
they can visit the special
NFDA Welcome Room
in the Capitol Hill Club.
In the NFDA Welcome
Room members can meet
with NFDA staff, asso-
ciation past presidents
and other experienced
summit attendees and
Dr. Alan Wolfelt to
Present Keynote for
Australian Funeral
Directors Association
Dr. Alan Wolfelt
FORT COLLINS,CO—
Re-
spected author, educator,
and consultant to funer-
al service
Dr. Alan Wol-
felt
will be the keynote
speaker for the 2015
Aus-
tralian Funeral Direc-
tors Association
Conven-
tion on March 14, 2015,
in Sydney, Australia. His
topic will be “The WHY
of Meaningful Funerals:
Exploring a New Mod-
el Being Used in North
America.”
Additionally, Dr. Wol-
felt will be presenting workshops in Melbourne, Aus-
tralia on March 13th. These workshops will include
one on “The WHY of Meaningful Funerals” and a
community program for caregivers on “The Art of
‘Companioning’ the Mourner.” These workshops are
being sponsored by
Nelson Bros Funeral Services.