Cassandra Meek receives Trigard scholarship

Trigard Memorials proudly awarded a scholarship to Cassandra Meek, a student at Carl Sandburg College’s Mortuary Science Program in Galesburg, IL.

Meek received the scholarship because she demonstrates a strong academic performance and a commitment to helping grieving families remember, celebrate and heal.

“We are happy to invest in Cassandra’s education,” said Trigard Project Manager Blake Swinford. “We are confident that she will be a caring leader in the next generation of funeral directors.”

Meek was awarded a $250 scholarship to help complete her studies. It is one of many scholarships awarded by Trigard each year.

Meek was received her scholarship while her class toured Trigard Vaults, Trigard Memorials and Sunset Funeral Home in Danville, IL. They also heard Trigard Chief Executive Officer Linda Darby talk about the changing face of the death care profession.

Help families memorialize in the new year

Blake Swinford,
Project Manager

How often do you speak with families that have scattered a loved one in the past, and now regret it? As memorialization experts, when talking with families, we need to be sure we are educating them on the importance of having a permanent place of memorialization. It not only creates a special place to visit and share stories for future generations, but it also keeps a family’s loved one's legacy alive.

As many do, I use this time to reflect on the past and plan for the year ahead. I encourage you to take advantage of this time of year to educate families you've already served, and families you hope to serve in the future. You can take it from someone who knows the real heartache of scattering and regretting it later. I scattered my mom’s cremated remains many years ago and didn’t think twice about it. It was what she wanted. Then, I had a family of my own and didn’t have a place to bring my kids to tell "grammy stories."

As we reflect on the past and plan for the year ahead, we are presented with the perfect time to fix things we regret from our past. Whether the families you serve want a bronze memorial, memorial rock or bench, creating a permanent place of memorialization is the most important part. I had a beautiful memorial bench and decorated with a bronze memorial. It sits just outside our memorial park’s Swan Pond. Now, my boys will always have a place to visit their grandma.

If you would like to hear the whole story after scattering my mom and years later creating a place of memorialization, visit us on YouTube.

This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.

Educate families about alternatives to scattering

Blake Swinford,
Project Manager

For a lot of us in the funeral profession, scattering can be a taboo subject. When we hear of families scattering their loved ones' cremated remains without creating a permanent place of memorialization, it breaks our hearts. It breaks my heart in particular because I know, first hand, the consequences of scattering.

When my mom passed away, we scattered her cremated remains. Years down the road, I came to the realization that I needed a place to bring my family to honor the life of my mother. It was too late to include her cremated remains with her memorial, but I could still create a place to visit and share memories. I placed a memorial bench at Sunset Memorial Park, and now my children have a place to go to talk about grandma.

As supporters of permanent memorialization, we need to educate the families we serve about scattering alternatives. We never know what will happen to the beautiful field their loved one is scattered in. It could be a shopping center a few years from now.

If you're struggling with cremation memorialization options, check out the products that we offer. You can also call our Customer Service team at 800.798.4900 for more ideas. 
 
This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.