Dashing Through the Snow to the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association Winter Meeting

A little northeastern snow didn’t stop Aftermath Senior Manager Ken Rosa as he made his way to the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association Meeting last week. The conference was attended by over 150 directors and other death care professionals. Fortunately, the area dodged the worst of the east coast’s wintery weather, and the atmosphere was pleasingly busy that afternoon.

What is the CFDA?

According to the official website, the CFDA “works hard to help members in all areas of funeral service/support including OSHA compliance areas, FTC regulations, preneed trust and preneed funeral insurance.” The organization also publishes a bi-monthly newsletter and hosts training and educational opportunities throughout the year. Meetings are held bi-annually and focus on networking and professional and business development.

Further, all CFDA members are expected to maintain membership with the group’s parent organization, the National Funeral Directors Association, which serves as the organizational link to the Federal government, and provides members with up-to-date information on regulations concerning to the industry. Aftermath has visited numerous NFDA meetings throughout the years, but the CFDA meeting was a first for Ken, whose background is in law enforcement.

Advocates and Role Models

“Though the pace of the conference was different than I am used to, the directors I met were very interested in our work,” said Ken. “I answered a number of questions about our locations and the role of our client services managers and how we work with insurance companies. Directors are deeply concerned with making things as easy as possible for their clients, many of whom are struggling to balance numerous aspects of the death care process.”

In addition to informative sessions and workshops, attendees at the meeting were invited to listen to a speech by Connecticut’s Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. James R. Gill. Meanwhile, in the vendor’s hall, Ken fielded questions and distributed marketing materials; he also hosted a drawing for a $50 Visa gift card. The winner was Jacqui Teske, Director at Pietras Funeral Homes, which serves the Rockville and Coventry communities.

Partners in Compassion

Funeral Directors not only arrange funerals; many are trained in grief counseling and serve as advice givers and advocates for those who are forced to navigate through the often difficult and unfamiliar territory of post-death care. Their compassion for their customers is something Aftermath seeks to emulate when working with families who need our help. We are proud to provide the funeral industry with nationwide assistance, whenever and wherever they need it. Thank you for being both role models and professional business associates.