New Video Resource Available for Cemeteries and Funeral Homes to Promote the Importance of Permanent Memorialization  

STERLING, Va. (October 13, 2025) – The International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral  Association’s Educational Foundation and Park Lawn Corporation (PLC) have partnered to  produce a powerful new video segment, now available for cemeteries and funeral homes to use in their community outreach and education efforts.  

The project began when Jay Dodds, Chief Strategy Officer at Park Lawn Corporation, was approached about the opportunity. Recognizing its value, he brought it to the attention of the ICCFA Educational Foundation, which quickly saw the importance of the topic and joined the  initiative. Together, the two organizations funded the project and brought the vision to life.  

Premiering in April 2025 on Advancements with Ted Danson, the segment highlights the essential role of permanent memorialization in the 21st century. It explores one of the most pressing challenges facing the profession today: ensuring that cremated remains are brought back to cemeteries and honored with a meaningful, lasting tribute.  

Through expert insights and real-world perspectives, the program emphasizes how the profession can work together to support families in making thoughtful, permanent placement decisions. Even as direct cremation rates rise, the segment underscores the importance of presenting every family with dignified options for memorialization that provide enduring comfort and a place of remembrance for generations to come.  

“We are honored to have helped make this project possible,” said Gino Merendino, President of the ICCFA Educational Foundation. “Our hope is that this video spreads an important message— that memorialization and remembrance are not only about honoring a life, but also about offering healing and connection for those left behind.”  

“Permanent memorialization is not just a professional responsibility—it’s a gift we give to families and future generations,” said Jay Dodds. “This segment is a valuable resource that cemeteries and funeral homes can use to inspire meaningful conversations in their communities and to reaffirm the lasting role our profession plays in guiding families through loss.”  

The segment is now available for deathcare professionals to share with their communities as part  of outreach, education, and engagement initiatives. It can be viewed from the ICCFA YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/TheICCFA. The full episode of Advancements with Ted Danson is also available to stream on Amazon Prime, Season 9, Episode 4.  

About ICCFA Educational Foundation 

The ICCFA Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) entity, established to make education accessible to future leaders in the deathcare profession and thereby raise the standards of professionalism within the industry. To learn more about the work of the Foundation and upcoming educational opportunities, please visit https://iccfa.com/educational-foundation/ 

Last week I attended a Blue Ocean Tour seminar planned and produced by Alan Creedy and Danny Jefferson.  It was my first time on one of these events and it was an incredible learning experience including tours of Death Care facilities, a National Cemetery, discussons, learning experiences, and simple brainstorming of ideas with a group that included funeral home owners, retired funeral home owners, non-funeral director funeral home business executives, and funeral home supply company executives.

During one of our brainstorming discussions the group touched on what I call “funeral poverty”.  That being the fact that sometimes at the time of an unexpected death families are simply strapped for cash and do not have savings in place or the ability to secure credit in such a short time period.

The discussion led to the thought of crowdfunding vehicles as a way to bring in some money to pay for services.  At least one funeral director in the group said that he has had clients who do crowdfunding but the funeral home received none of the proceeds and he was still left with a really tough to collect receivable.

That’s when I mentioned that a friend of mine in funeral service, Jimmy Altmeyer, had created a program that can crowdfund for funeral expenses but is much more than that.  It is a funding device created by funeral directors for funeral directors that can help funeral homes assist members of their community for projects of all types.

I wasn’t familiar enough with the concept to speak in any great capacity at the Blue Ocean Tour about it but the discussion led me to reach out to Treasured Memories Community Funding (TMC Funding) to get more information and pass that information on to the readers of Funeral Director Daily.

The following is an article I received from the good people at TMC Funding for publication in today’s FDD.  I hope you enjoy it and learn about another product that may be able to help your business.

Many funeral homes have experience with a  young child passing away in their community. 

 

The family  inquires about services after this sudden, tragic death of a loved one.  Many funeral homes offer to donate goods and services, but the funeral home still needs to cover cash advance items like published obituaries, cemetery open and close, death certificate filing, and more. Then the family and friends, with good intentions, set up a fundraiser using an online crowdfunding platform. 

 

A genuine action to help the family  inadvertently begins to reflect negatively on your funeral home, making it appear as if you didn’t help them out at all. All this, while the real story is that the funeral services have been donated.  The general public most likely doesn’t know this and doesn’t consider what is happening behind the scene.

 

“When a community is coming together to help a family in need, that’s good.   However, they should consider all needs of the family, not just the cost of the funeral”,  shared Jimmy Altmeyer, President of Altmeyer Funeral Home and Founder of Treasured Memories.

 

Similar scenarios encouraged Jimmy and his team to create Treasured Memories Community Funding (TMC Funding): an online fundraising platform created for funeral professionals, by funeral professionals. TMC Funding allows funeral homes to bring crowdfunding in-house while securing funds for families in need to better serve their communities. 

 

Ultimately, this demonstrates your commitment to providing exceptional care while enhancing your firm’s public image.

 

Other community funding platforms exist by taking a portion of the funds raised. Treasured Memories has a 0% platform fee and we provide our services through donor tips.   100% of the donations will go to the family or charity of choice.

 

Treasured Memories Community funding not only helps a family pay for their loved one’s services, it can also be used to raise money for memorial donations, charitable events, sponsorships and other community organizations. 

 

“When we built the platform, we were focused on families in need,” explained Jimmy. “What we actually found out is that only 30% of the fundraisers are for families in need. 70% of the funds raised are for successful community outreach and memorial donations.” Crowdfunding can help funeral providers with all types of fundraisers:

 

Family Support – Funds can be raised for families in need of assistance with funeral, medical and other unexpected expenses.

Memorial Donations – Charities and organizations in someone’s name or in support a family.

Charitable Events – Raise funds for a specific event happening in your community.

Community Fundraisers – For a local organization in need of support.

Support for Veterans – Raise funds for Veterans’ medical assistance, housing or other necessities.

Loving Pets and Animals – Raise money towards furry friends that require medical assistance, shelter or other efforts.

 

Community fundraising  opens the door for many funeral homes to support their communities.  When a fundraiser is created, the funeral home has the opportunity to help share the family’s story. 

 

Both the family and funeral home can begin sharing the fundraiser on social media.  Once the fundraiser is complete, the funeral director can present the check to the family or the organization of their choice.  

 

“Treasured Memories Community Funding has helped us build relationships in our community.  It has given the funeral home an opportunity to show how families impact the charities in their loved one’s memory,” shared Craig Roe, Vice President and General Manager for Michigan Memorial Funeral Home in Flat Rock, MI.

 

The increased  publicity will impact your funeral home’s reputation in a positive way .

 

Treasured Memories Community Funding presents opportunities to follow up with charitable organizations creating community engagement.  Outreach events have the potential to create a cycle of education, community involvement and positive attention for your funeral home.

 

You can learn more by looking at the Treasured Memories Community Funding website here.

 

For more information regarding community fundraising or getting started on the TMC Funding platform, you can click here. 

 

A Little About the Founder of Treasured Memories Community Funding:

Jimmy Altmeyer

Jimmy Altmeyer, President of Altmeyer Funeral Home & Founder of Treasured Memories, graduated from Villanova University (BA, 1988) and Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science (Associate’s, 1989). He and his wife, Jocelyn C. Altmeyer, have three children: Simon Cameron, James Elijah, and Justine Virginia.

Funeral Director Daily take:  We are happy to provide information on another “tool in the toolbox” for those that work to satisfy Death Care clients’ needs.  This type of platform, controlled by the funeral home, is a much needed addition to what is presently available to funeral homes.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

PETA Offers a Custom Titan Casket — and Its President’s Mortal Remains — To Promote Veganism

Although this pun-filled news release appeared on October 29 — just in time for Halloween — it’s not a spooky prank:  PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has offered to place a vegan-themed casket in the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston. It’s just the latest in a series of PETA promotions that tie an early death to a non-vegan diet, which ultimately supports one of the organization’s end goals: to prevent animals from becoming or producing food. It’s also a message that PETA’s current president has pledged to send post-mortem in the most PETA way possible.

An offer they can’t refuse?

“In time for Halloween, PETA sent a letter today to the National Museum of Funeral History with a deadly serious offer,” the release, which is found on PETA’s website, reads. “The group will provide a full-size casket for animal rights–oriented loved ones bearing the message ‘Life Is Short—Don’t Wait to Go Vegan’ to display in the museum’s collection as well as a vegan food giveaway to promote the new installation if the funerary facility agrees to let those who wish to continue their activism from beyond the grave do so.”

PETA adds that their goal for this unexpected offer is to “help educate the living about the animals who are tormented and killed every day for human use and remind everyone about the reapercussions of eating cholesterol-laden meat, eggs, and dairy, which increase the risk of suffering from heart disease, strokes, obesity, and numerous other potentially fatal ailments and conditions.”

Unending advocacy

The idea for a death-themed campaign, complete with a custom coffin, came about organically, according to PETA president Ingrid Newkirk, who was participating in discussions with the organization’s fervent supporters.

“In talking to some of our members, this recurring theme keeps coming up,” Newkirk explained to Connecting Directors. “What happens when I die? That’s the end of my advocacy for these animals. These wonderful animals will have one fewer voice to speak for them and to advocate. And somebody said, ‘Well, you know, you can get a message on a coffin that would be quite interesting.’”

Newkirk and her team have recognized the growing deathcare trend of uber-personalized products and services that truly pay homage to the deceased and their professions, hobbies, and other interests. A customized casket bearing the PETA logo and message can serve as one last reminder of the deceased’s passions and beliefs — and Newkirk hopes that it makes others ponder their own participation.

“Somebody could feel quite good about the fact that they’re going to choose a coffin, that when their loved ones come through to see them, they’ll see this message, or anybody who comes to this service will see this message,” Newkirk explains. “And so they could live on a little bit in their advocacy. People can live on through their bequests and are very proud to do that. They know that that’s one way and this is another way that they can make a statement.”

Team Titan

The organization’s selection of a Titan Casket to illustrate its mission isn’t surprising. In its short existence, Titan has become quite famous for its unexpected partnerships, as well as its seemingly-endless options for customization. 

Titan’s PETA casket collaboration was first introduced in 2022 with a press release appearing — you guessed it — just days before the Halloween, All Saints Day, and Dia de los Muertos holidays, alluding to the fact that a vegan lifestyle could delay one’s need for a casket of any kind. Today, Titan offers PETA supporters three options to customize its Orion model with “pro-animal” messages including “Life Is Short—Don’t Wait to Go Vegan” and “PETA Member for All Eternity.”

“Titan is a very reliable, good company,” Newkirk adds. “We looked at them and they seemed to be just the ticket. So we asked them if they would be game to sell one of these caskets on demand. And they said they would. We’re fond of it and we want to do something more with it as time goes on.”

Post-mortem activism

Throughout its 44-year history, PETA and its more than 9 million members have found some unusual, startling, and often controversial methods to educate others on their mission, and Newkirk’s final wishes, which she announced last year, may be one of the most drastic statements that could be made.

In June 2023, Newkirk announced that she had updated her will to “include a request for her flesh to be cooked, and for her body parts to be transformed into activist messages post-mortem.” Her will also includes having her skin “peeled off” to make leather goods, having one eye shipped to the National Institutes of Health “for funding experiments on animals” and for her foot be made into an umbrella stand “as is done for elephants.”

“It’s a real thing,” Newkirk shares. “I have an attorney. I have a pathologist. It came about because I was in a plane that almost crashed. And so the next day, you know, when I was sitting in a meeting, I thought, and this happens to people who’ve had that kind of experience, I thought ‘I shouldn’t be here.’ And then I started to think, ‘What is going to happen?’ And I thought, well, one good thing is I have excellent people in charge of departments, so that’s good.”

“And the second thing I thought was, this is the end of my activism, and my activism is so important to me,” she continues, “because I’ve been on dairy farms and in laboratories, and I’ve seen with my own eyes, I’ve been in slaughterhouses, I’ve seen with my own eyes what the animals go through. Activism to stop that is very important to me. And then I thought, ‘Well, what can I do?’ And I thought, ‘Well, I won’t need my body when I’ve gone, so why don’t I make a statement with it?” And I asked my mother, who was alive at the time. I said, ‘Do you mind if I do this?’ And she said, ‘No, dear, you do whatever you like.’ And so I got a pathologist, I got an attorney. I drew up a will and I thought, ‘What are the bad things that are happening and what are the good things that are happening? And how can I divide up the parts of my body to make those points through PETA when I’m gone?’ And that’s what happened.”

Coffin stickers

For those PETA supporters who aren’t yet ready to barbecue their deceased loved ones or purchase a themed casket, PETA’s online shop offers another option: casket stickers.

“As Halloween approaches, PETA is introducing customized coffin and urn stickers that let the dearly departed take their animal activism all the way to the grave,” reads the product description. “Sticking up for animal rights is a way of life—and now, it can also be a way of death. These witty and touching messages will inspire viewers to embrace a vegan lifestyle. They make great statement accessories for the actual dead or those feigning death with coffin paraphernalia this Halloween.”

Messages for these stickers include “I Told You I Wouldn’t Be Caught Dead in Wool,” “I Told You I Wouldn’t Be Caught Dead in Leather,” “Forever Fur-Free,” “Dead Meat Should Be Buried, Not Eaten,” and one that’s similar to the messages available in PETA’s Titan casket: “Give Life Your Best Shot: Go Vegan.”

“I do think that we always say vegans live a longer life because I think on average, it’s seven years more than anyone who eats meat and dairy,” Newkirk adds. “It’s just one of those sad or good facts, whichever way you take it. But maybe when you write about this, it will stick in some people’s minds that they need to do it.”

Newkirk hopes that the Connecting Directors audience will share these PETA personalization options with pre-planners or with families of anyone who was involved with PETA or animal activism while they were alive.

“It is true that when somebody goes, you are looking back and you’re thinking, did I do enough? Did I do it? Will I cherish their memory? Will I be able to get people to understand?” she says. “And what have you got? You’ve got a tribute wall at the funeral home and you try to say something. This, if you’re making funeral arrangements or something, would be a wonderful gift to the person because it’s what mattered to them.”