March 2019

Page A31 MARCH 2019 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A News Association ContinueD 2019 NFDA Advocacy Summit: New Congress, New Opportunities vice Beach Chapel, Mur- rells Inlet, SC; Inez Till- mon, Austin A. Layne Mortuary, Saint Louis, MO; Angela Todd, Alt- meyer Funeral Home, Virginia Beach, VA; Lin- da Webb, William G. Neal Funeral Homes, Washington, PA; Kara Whigham, Whigham Fu- neral Home, Newark, NJ; Shane Williams, Loose Funeral Homes & Cre- matory, Anderson, IN; Kasey Wilson, Gunder- son Funeral and Crema- tion Care, Madison, WI; Richard Woody, Peters Funeral Home, Shafter, CA; and Marc Zmij- owski, Leonard M. Pav- lic Funeral Home Inc, Charleroi, PA. Meet the Mentors attend- ees spent time with three of the profession’s most respected funeral profes- sionals: Rosemarie Fors- berg, CFSP, owner and operator of Heritage Fu- neral Home in Nipawin, SK and Tisdale Funer- al Home in Tisdale, SK; Mark Krause, president of Krause Funeral Homes and Cremation Servic- es, which has several lo- cations in the Milwaukee, WI area; and Jeff Smith, owner of Smith Family Funeral Home, which has several locations in the Lit- tle Rock, AR area. There is no cost to par- ticipate in the Meet the Mentors program itself. The Funeral Service Foun- dation’s grant provides ex- clusive, career-transform- ing access to three mentors and covers attendees’ reg- istration fees, two nights’ lodging and select meals. The 50 individuals selected to attend only pay for their transportation to the pro- gram. Nearly 600 young profes- sionals and emerging lead- ers have benefited from the Meet the Mentors pro- gram, which underscores the Foundation’s mission to support all of funeral service in building mean- ingful relationships with the families and commu- nities it serves. The pro- gram is part of the Foun- dation ‘45 Awards, which are designed to transform the careers of funeral ser- vice professionals through scholarships, awards, re- sources and mission-fo- cused outreach. Complete details about the NFDA Meet the Men- tors program, including the videos announcing the 2019 Meet the Mentors participants, can be found at www.nfda.org/mentors. NFDA Introduces the 2019 Meet the Mentors Program Participants Continued from Page A27 BROOKFIELD,WI— The Nation- al Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) asks members to unite to be the profession’s voice on Capitol Hill during the 2019 NFDA Advo- cacy Summit, April 3-5 in Washing- ton, DC. Federal priorities began to shift when the 116th congress took office following the mid-term elections. NFDA needs members’ help to en- sure funeral service issues stay top-of- mind with their elected senators and representatives. “With a so many new members of congress, this year’s Summit prom- ises to be a time of fresh voices and perspectives,” said NFDA senior vice president of advocacy Lesley Wit- ter, MPA, CAE. “Meeting with your congressional representatives and sharing your stories during the Ad- vocacy Summit enables you to put a face critical legislation that impacts you and your business.” With the start of a new session of congress, the legislative slate was wiped clean. NFDA is monitoring the legislation that is being intro- duced and urging members of con- gress to introduce bills that will ben- efit the profession, grieving families and small business. In the weeks to come, NFDA will share more infor- mation about the specific bills on which members will advocate. The Advocacy Summit begins Wednesday, April 3 with a Welcome Reception at the Decatur House. Built in 1818 and named for its first own- er and occupant, Decatur House now serves as the National Center forWhite House History and is managed by the White House Historical Association. On Thursday, April 4, attendees will start the day with an informative issues briefing during which attend- ees will learn about the issues they will be discussing with their congres- sional representatives. After the brief- ing, attendees will gather on the steps of the Capitol building for a group photo. Then the real work of the Ad- vocacy Summit begins. Delegations from states in atten- dance will meet with their senators and representatives. During these crit- ical meetings, NFDA members can take a proactive approach to advanc- ing legislation that affects funeral ser- vice, small business and the bereaved. “The role of NFDA members in discussing legislation with mem- bers of Congress cannot be under- estimated,” said Witter. “The stories you shared during last year’s Sum- mit prompted a number of represen- tatives to support the BRAVE Act, which would improve death ben- efits for veterans. Before the house version of the bill expired at the end of the last session of congress, a to- tal of 75 representatives from both sides of the aisle cosponsored the bill. The BRAVE Act in the senate also gained support after the hard work of our members during the Advoca- cy Summit, and shortly after the Sen- ate Veterans Committee included the BRAVE Act in a legislative hearing.” While NFDA members are advo- cating on Capitol Hill, they can vis- it the special NFDA Welcome Room in the Capitol Hill Club. There, at- tendees can relax and enjoy light re- freshments. NFDA staff will be on hand to answer questions; attend- ees can share information with staff about what has transpired during their meetings with their congressio- nal representatives. The evening of April 4, summit at- tendees can opt to attend a special fundraising reception and dinner benefitting the NFDA Political Ac- tion Committee (PAC). Taking place at Renwick Gallery of the Smithson- ian American Art Museum, the event will feature special guest speaker Robert J. O’Neill, one of the most highly-decorated combat veterans of our time and the author New York Times best-selling books The Opera- tor: Firing the Shots That Killed Osa- ma bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL TeamWarrior. The NFDA PAC helps ensure that NFDA members are properly repre- sented in Washington, DC. Contri- butions strengthen the voice of funer- al service in Washington by giving the NFDA Advocacy team the resources it needs to act. All contributions are pooled to make the most impact – 100 percent of PAC funds are used to support candidates for the United States Senate and House of Represen- tatives who support public policy ini- tiatives that directly benefit funeral service and small business. On Friday, April 5, the final day of the summit, attendees have the op- tion of participating in Honoring Our Nation: Guided Monument Tour. This unique guided tour will give attendees an up-close look at the Lincoln, Korean War, Vietnam War and WWII memorials. The tour cul- minates with a visit to the nation’s most sacred site, Arlington Nation- al Cemetery. At Arlington, attend- ees can choose to take a tram for a self-guided experience, explore with a private tour guide or join NFDA president Chuck Bowman for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Attendees can kick-off their Advo- cacy Summit experience by attending a Cremation Certification Program on April 3. The NFDA Cremation Certification Program is the recog- nized certification standard for all fu- neral service professionals who offer cremation. The program covers best practices for safe, proper, and ethi- cal crematory operations, excellence in service to cremation families, and much more. Funeral professionals should visit www.nfda.org/advocacysummit for the latest information about the Ad- vocacy Summit. The historic May- flower Hotel will again serve as the headquarters for the 2019 NFDA Advocacy Summit. We test ours in the lab soyoudon’t have to test it in the real world. 1-800-992-1925 | CustomAirTrays.com © Custom Air Trays YOURWORST-CASE SCENARIO...WOULDHAVENEVERHAPPENED WITHOURAIR TRAY. IT’S TESTEDTOWITHSTAND1,000LBS. BOOTH 1517