October 2018

Page A43 OCTOBER 2018 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A NASCAR WelCome ReCeptioN Start off the the ICCFA Annual Convention & Exposition on Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at this unique reception with food, friends and fun. Tickets are only $20 and give you access to everything the NASCAR Hall of Fame has to offer! Learn more at www.iccfaconvention.com V i s i t u s a t B o o t h 1 9 2 8 News Educational (L to R) Abel Salazar, clinical instructor of mortuary science; Kevin Lee, vice president of community engagement, Mid- America Transplant; Carrie Hering, funeral home liaison Mid- America Transplant; Scott Collins, director, School of Allied Health; Anthony Fleege, mortuary science and funeral ser- vice program director, and Andy Wang, Dean of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts. (Photo by Russell Bailey) Donation to Help Upgrade Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Mortuary Science Program Lab, Provide Assistantships By Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE,IL— A do- nation by Mid-America Transplant Foundation will mean renovations and ad- ditional equipment for Southern Illinois Univer- sity Carbondale’s Mortu- ary Science and Funer- al Service embalming lab and continued undergrad- uate research assistantships for the program.  “The bulk of a $98,000 donation presented on Au- gust 17 will be for renova- tions and equipment, with $15,000 going toward sup- porting students with as- sistantships,” Anthony Fleege, program director said. “This is the third year the foundation has provid- ed support and the dona- tion is the largest to a non- medical unit.” “The foundation ap- proached the program about three years ago as it identified a shared pur- pose in serving families and supporting the com- munity. To date, the foun- dation has provided nearly $134,400 to the universi- ty and SIU Foundation in support of the mortuary science and funeral service program,” said Kevin Lee, vice president of commu- nity engagement for Mid- America Transplant. Mid-America Transplant Foundation has been “our greatest supporter and col- laborator,” Fleege said. In addition to supporting stu- dents through assistant- ships, scholarships and board fee reimbursement, the foundation supports faculty through grants to travel and continue profes- sional development and re- search.  Lee said Mid-America Transplant and its foun- dation are proud to part- ner with the university as it educates the next genera- tion of funeral home pro- fessionals. The foundation has shown a commitment to the ongoing develop- ment of a strong, skilled workforce within its des- ignated services area and is continually reviewing op- portunities to support stu- dents.  “As funeral home profes- sionals, these students have the ability to impact thou- sands of lives during their career,” Lee said. “Every day these dedicated indi- viduals work with families in times of unimaginable grief, providing compas- sion and comfort. We too seek to offer solace by pro- viding their loved one with www.nomi s publ i cat i ons . com Continued on Page A46