ICCFA 2011 Annual Convention & Exposition Summary

The ICCFA 2011 Annual Convention & Exposition was the largest in the association's history in both number of exhibit booths sold and total attendees. In case you missed it, here are some highlights from last week's events:

• Special thanks to Carriage Services for their work in coordinating our annual Memorial Service. You may still pay tribute to someone who was honored during the service.
• Robert Fells was named ICCFA executive director, and Nadira Baddeliyanage was named director of operations.
• Robert Fells was honored with the ICCFA Hall of Fame Award honoring his 25+ years of service to the association and industry.
• Guy Kawasaki met with hundreds of attendees after his keynote presentation, "The Art of Enchantment." His book of the same name hit shelves the day before his appearance at the Convention.
• Dr. Marty Becker, keynote speaker of the Second Annual Pet Loss Professionals Alliance Conference, vowed twice during his presentation that he would bring the message of the pet loss industry to veterinarians and the public. Becker said that attending the conference had opened his eyes to the pet loss profession and he had not fully appreciated the true value of the services that PLPA members provide to pet parents.
• Winners of this year's RPAC Raffle are:
  • iPad: June Nikola (Trinity Cemetery Association, Marlboro, New Jersey)
  • 42" TV: Marcia Williams (Independence Trust Company, Franklin, Tennessee)
  • 2012 Annual Convention VIP Package: Tom Daly, CCE, CCCE (CHS Consulting Group/Cemetery Helpful Solutions, Westwood, Massachusetts)

Additional Convention details including final attendance tallies will be available in the next couple of weeks.

The ICCFA will return to Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas again next year. MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR OUR 2012 ANNUAL CONVENTION & EXPOSITION, MARCH 19-22.

New ICCFA Officers, Board Elected at Annual Convention

The ICCFA elected new leadership during its 2011 Annual Convention & Exposition. Congratulations to the following newly elected officers:

• President—Kenneth E. Varner, CCFE (Cypress Lawn Cemetery Association, Colma, California)
• President-Elect—Jeff Kidwiler, CCE, CSE (Heritage Park, Metro Manila, Philippines)
• Vice President, Education—Nancy R. Lohman, CCFE (Lohman Funeral Homes, Cemeteries & Cremation, Ormond Beach, Florida)
• Vice President, Membership & Marketing—Michael R. Uselton, CCFE (Gibraltar Remembrance Services, Palmetto, Florida)
• Vice President, Internal Affairs—Darin B. Drabing (Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, Glendale, California)
• Vice President, External Affairs—I. Frederick Lappin, CCE (Knollwood Cemetery Corporation and Sharon Memorial Park, Sharon, Massachusetts)
• Treasurer—Jay Brammer (Gibraltar Remembrance Services LLC, Indianapolis, Indiana)
• Secretary—Christine Toson Hentges, CCE (The Tribute Companies Inc., Hartland, Wisconsin)

Members elected to serve three-year terms on the ICCFA Board of Directors are:

• Andres Aguilar (Senoriales Corporacion de Servicio, Guatemala City, Guatemala)
• Russell W. Allen (Memorial Oaks Funeral Home and Cemetery, Houston, Texas)
• Thomas P. Daly, CCE, CCCE (Worcester County Memorial Park, Paxton, Massachusetts)
• Jay D. Dodds (Carriage Services, Houston, Texas)
• Anthony Guerra (Guerra & Gutierrez Mortuaries, Los Angeles, California)
• Ernie Heffner, CFuE (Heffner Funeral Homes & Crematory, York, Pennsylvania)
• Jerry Myers, CPA, PMP (Stewart Enterprises, New Orleans, Louisiana)
• Stephen L. Schacht, CCFE (Service Corporation International, Seal Beach, California)

Members elected to serve unexpired one-year terms on the board are:

• Rick Miller, CCFE (Chapel of the Chimes Cemetery and Mortuary, Hayward, California)
• Daniel L. Villa (Park Lawn Cemetery, Commerce, California)

Past presidents elected to serve a one-year term on the board are:

• Patrick Downey, CCE (Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum, Cincinnati, Ohio)
• Gregory Easley, CCE (Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Omaha, Nebraska)
• Ray Frew, CCFE (Green Hills Memorial Park, Rancho Palos Verdes, California)

The International Memorialization Supply Association appointment to serve a one-year term on the board is:

• Timothy M. Hentges (Tribute Precast Systems LLC, Hartland, Wisconsin)

The presidential appointments to represent the ICCFA on the Cemetery Consumer Service Council are:

• Thomas P. Daly, CCE, CCCE (CHS Consulting Group, Westwood, Massachusetts)
• Stephen G. Burrill, CCE, CCrE (Mount Hope Cemetery, Bangor, Maine)

Members of the 2010-2011 Executive Committee are as follows:

• ICCFA President Kenneth E. Varner, CCFE (Cypress Lawn Cemetery Association, Colma, California)
• ICCFA President-Elect Jeff Kidwiler, CCE, CSE (Heritage Park, Metro Manila, Philippines)
• ICCFA Immediate Past President Kevin R. Daniels, CCE (Daniels Family Funeral Services, Albuquerque, New Mexico)
• Stephen L. Schacht, CCFE (Service Corporation International, Seal Beach, California), president's appointment
• Robert A. Gordon, CCFE, CCrE, CSE (Eternal Hills Memorial Garden & Funeral Home, Klamath Falls, Oregon), past presidents' appointment
• ICCFA Treasurer Jay Brammer (ex-officio) (Gibraltar Remembrance Services LLC, Indianapolis, Indiana)

Individuals elected and appointed to serve three-year terms on the ICCFA Service Bureau, Inc. Board of Directors are:

• Gregg Strom, CCE (StoneMore Partners LP, Levittown, Pennsylvania)
• Richard Cody, CCE (Resthaven Memorial Gardens, Frederick, Maryland)
• Keenan Knopke, CCFE (Curlew Hills Memory Gardens, Palm Harbor, Florida)

2010 KIP Award Winners Announced

Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry for a chance to win a 2010 Keeping It Personal (KIP) Award. This year's contest drew 52 entries from across the United States and abroad. Communications and marketing professionals from outside the cemetery and funeral service profession performed the judging. You may read full descriptions of the winning entries on our website. The winners are as follows:

MOST PERSONALIZED SERVICE OR MEMORIAL
First Place & Grand Prize Winner
Schoedinger Funeral and Cremation Service
Columbus, Ohio
A community in central Ohio was stunned when a mom, her son and a family friend were murdered. The family turned to Schoedinger Funeral Home, who saw it as their challenge to help the healing process begin for the remaining daughter, family, friends and neighbors.

They planned a service that reflected on the lives of Tina, the mother, and Kody, the son, and not on the circumstances of their deaths. Schoedinger's staff displayed matching red rose sprays atop each casket and used large photos of Tina and Kody as the focal point in the room. A DVD reflecting memories of happier times played while people struggled to make sense of the loss. Kody's favorite sport was baseball and his mother loved sunflowers, so baseballs decorated by cheerleaders from Kody's school and sunflowers were handed out to all who attended.

A bereavement care specialist helped children write messages on baseball cutouts and place them on a memory board during visitation periods. The family received hundreds of special memory cards. More than 220 visitors lit candles and shared memories on the funeral home's website. Balloons were released at the cemetery.

Honorable Mentions: Pray Funeral Home (Charlotte, Michigan) and Omps Funeral Home (Winchester, Virginia)

BEST PRACTICE
First Place
White Haven Memorial Park
Pittsford, New York
White Haven Memorial Park is experiencing a large increase in the number of families choosing cremation, which means a decrease in the number of services requiring a funeral director's assistance. In response, they have put into place "Ours" Services. An on-staff arrangements counselor and a certified celebrant now work with the family to perform functions such as planning the service, making arrangements for clergy, music and military honors, coordinating receptions, providing for escorts to the burial site and making sure everyone knows what to do before, during and after the service. Customer families have lavished many words of gratitude upon the staff since they instituted the practice.

Honorable Mention: Heritage Park/Rosehills Memorial Management (Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines)

EVENTS
First Place
Royal Oak Burial Park
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Royal Oak Burial Park held an event they called Summer So[u]lstice in June 2010 that invited the public to visit the cemetery and see the burial park's newly opened traditional interment area as well as the Woodlands, Canada's first urban green burial site (now recognized as a certified natural burial provider by the Green Burial Council of North America). Poets, musicians, a local historian and other artists were on hand to create a friendly, non-threatening and upbeat environment for those who attended. Some of the volunteers assisted families in creating a personal remembrance banner for those who already had family members buried in the park or had family buried elsewhere but just wanted to leave a personal message at the event. The goal of the event was to connect the cemetery to the community in a positive, upbeat manner and demonstrate the valued role cemeteries have as sacred spaces in the community.

Honorable Mentions: The Wilbert Foundation (Forest Park, Illinois) and Sunset Memorial Park, French Family of Companies (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

INNOVATIVE/PERSONALIZED PRODUCT (SUPPLIERS ONLY)
First Place
Alternative Solutions USA
Spring Valley, California
Alternative Solutions USA is a non-profit program that recycles implants left after cremation and generates substantial funds for numerous U.S. charities such as The Unforgettables, which has so far received over $16,000 to assist low-income families in providing a dignified and appropriate burial for their children who have died.

Honorable Mentions: Signature Series (Madison, Wisconsin) and Love Ashes (Lakewood Ranch, Florida)

MOST PERSONALIZED PET SERVICE/MEMORIAL
First Place
Two Hearts Pet Loss Center
Greenwood, Indiana
Cherokee was a beloved St. Bernard and played the roles of daughter and big sister in her family. When she passed away, Coleen Ellis with Two Hearts helped the family express their gratitude for the time they had Cherokee in their lives, holding a home-based memorial service that allowed the family to share just how much Cherokee enriched their lives. Reception items included all the favorite "human food" Cherokee liked to eat. Two Hearts also helped the family's son set up a drive in honor of Cherokee for items that were needed at the local Humane Society animal shelter. Two trucks were needed to deliver all the donated items to the shelter.

Honorable Mention: My Bob Rocks (Roseburg, Oregon)

Grand prize winner Schoedinger Funeral & Cremation Service received a free registration to the ICCFA 2011 Annual Convention & Exposition in Las Vegas.

All winners were recognized at the Annual Convention, will be featured in ICCFA Magazine and in industry publications and were provided promotional news releases to submit to their local media.

2011 applications are now available. This year's deadline: December 2.

ICCFA Presents Member Awards, ICCFA University Scholarships

The ICCFA awarded several scholarships to the ICCFA University and honored several members during its 2011 Convention & Exposition.

Certification Designations
The ICCFA certification program recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a high degree of competence and a high level of cemetery, cremation, funeral or supplier management, experience and skills. The ICCFA awarded Certified Cemetery Executive (CCE), Certified Funeral Executive (CFuE), Certified Cremation Executive (CCrE), Certified Cemetery Funeral Executive (CCFE) and Certified Supplier Executive (CSE) designations to the following members:

• Russell Allen (Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, Houston, Texas) received the CCFE designation
• C. John Linge (Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery Association, Cedar Rapids, Iowa) received the CCFE designation
• Jonathan Pace (Franklin Memorial Park, North Brunswick, New Jersey) received the CCE, CCrE and CSE designations
• Michael Schoedinger (Schoedinger Funeral & Cremation Service, Columbus, Ohio) received the CFuE and CCrE designations
• Douglas Gerald Wagemann (Carriage Services, Sacramento, California) received the CCFE designation

Quarter and Half Century Clubs
The ICCFA presented awards honoring those who have been in the industry for 25 and 50 years.

Inducted into the Quarter-Century Club were:

• Michael S. Chilcote (Mount Elliott Cemetery Association, Rochester, Michigan)
• Mark J. Krause, CFuE (Krause Funeral Homes & Cremation Service, Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
• C. John Linge, CCFE, (Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery Association, Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
• Ronald D. Kreassig (Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery Association, Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
• Paul L. White Jr. (Silverbrook Cemetery, Wilmington, Delaware)

Inducted into the Half-Century Club were:

• Arlen J. Brown (Heather Mortuary & Chapel, Tucson, Arizona)
• Arlene V. Gleich (Eastside Memorial Park, Minden, Nevada)

University Scholarships
ICCFA University, to be held July 22-27, 2011, at the Fogelman Conference Center at the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee, is the only advanced training program of its kind for cemetery, cremation and funeral service professionals.

The ICCFA Educational Foundation awarded a scholarship to ICCFA University to:

• Lisa Lynn Curtis (Mount Elliott Cemetery Association, Rochester, Michigan)

And thanks to the generous support of Gino Merendino on behalf of Ernie Heffner, a student attending the College of 21st Century Funeral Services will receive a $500 scholarship to attend ICCFAU. It's my privilege to announce that Charles Norfleet (The Public Center for Funeral Resources, Redan, Georgia) will receive this year's scholarship.

The Central States Scholarship Winner for full tuition to any of the six ICCFAU colleges is:

• Greg Blood (Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery Association, Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

The Next Generation Committee awarded three scholarships to ICCFA University to:

• Alesia Skinner (Paxtang Cemetery, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)
• Anthony Carpinello (Resurrection Cemetery—Trustees of St. Partick's Cathedral, Staten Island, New York)
• Katherine Cecilia (Woodlawn Memorial Gardens, Norfolk, Virginia)

Thanks to the generous support of Merendino Cemetery Care, Andy Lopez (American Funeral Financial, Greenville, South Carolina) will receive a Next Generation armed forces veteran scholarship covering tuition and meals at this year's ICCFAU. Lopez is a U.S. Marine and is a life member of the Disabled American Veterans and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Robert A. Gordon Sr., CCFE, CCrE, CSE (Eternal Hills Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home, Klamath Falls, Oregon), presented a $50,000 check to the ICCFA Educational Foundation to further promote educational development in our industry and challenged others to make donations to support future generations of our industry.

A complete program and registration materials for the 2011 session of ICCFA University will be available at www.iccfa.com by early April.

In the Online Store: Sessions From the 2010 Convention

Ten presentations from last year's ICCFA Annual Convention & Expo are now available for purchase on audio CD or video DVD, including:

• Nick Morgan, "Authentic Communication: Finding Your Voice and Getting the World to Pay Attention To It," and his book "Trust Me," $39 [DVD and book]
• Ken Gronbach, "How to Profit From the Demographic Storm" and his book "The Age Curve," $39 [DVD and book]
• Ken Gronbach, "How to Profit From the Demographic Storm," $25 [DVD only]
• Ze Frank, "Facebook May Not Be The Answer," $25 [DVD]
• Rhonda Harper, "The Customer of Tomorrow," $25 [DVD]
• Alan Creedy, "High Performing Cultures: How They Do It and How You Can Too," $17 [CD]
• Chuck Gallagher, "ABCs of Social Networking," $17 [CD]
• Michael Schoedinger, "Tearing Down the 'Slowly Going Out of Business' Sign," $17 [CD]
• Nancy Lohman, CCFE, "Pet Services: Best Practices," $17 [CD]
• Shun Newbern, CFSP, "Difficult Cases: Secrets of a Master Embalmer," $17 [CD]

All sessions on CD include any handouts that accompanied the presentation. All DVD sessions include the speaker's audio/visual presentation. These items are available only to ICCFA members and are visible only to members who are logged in on the Web site. To register as a member on the site, go to the home page, click on "Create New Account" and fill out the form. Within 24 hours of registering you will be granted membership privileges and will have access to all content throughout the site as well as to ICCFA member discount prices.

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