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Welcome to the Funeral
Consumers Alliance of the Piedmont!
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Thanks
For All the Help
Thank you to the FCA of
the Piedmont members who have volunteered to staff our information tent
at this
weekend's Fun Fourth in downtown Greensboro.
Come by and visit our tent on the lawn at City Center
Park
between 10 a.m. and
6 p.m. during Fun Fourth this Saturday, July 4. We'll be offering free
paper
fans for new memberships and/or donations of $5 or more, each filled
with our
new directory of Piedmont Triad providers of funeral goods and
services! We'll
have lots of free brochures on topics of interest to funeral consumers,
plus
copies for sale of our 2008 full price-compliance survey report and
"Undertaken With Love: A Home Funeral Guide for Congregations and
Communities."
To celebrate our new 501(c)(3)
status as an educational
charity, an anonymous friend of our chapter will match
dollar-for-dollar all
donations received by September 18 (up to $1,500), including donations
received
at Fun Fourth -- please consider making a tax-deductible donation now!
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IT IS
COMPLETED
After considerable work by Holly and
other volunteers we are excited and pleased to announce that we have
completed our first price and compliance survey of area funeral homes
and crematoria. With this valuable information our members and the
public are able to determine which funeral establishments are the most
cost effective for their needs.
To view an/or download this survey go here.
Printed Copies of 2008 Survey Available
Funeral Consumers Alliance of the Piedmont has a limited quantity
available of its 2008 Price and Compliance Survey of Piedmont Triad
Funeral Homes and Crematories, in a handy three-hole-punched format
that fits a standard binder. This preprinted version is provided as a
service to our members. Nonmembers may obtain a copy for $12 by mailing
a check payable to FCA of the Piedmont, together with their name and
address, to:
Holly Stevens
5918 Pepper Rd
Oak Ridge NC 27310
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We formed June 5, 2008 at
a public meeting in Greensboro to address our mission:
To work together as
informed consumers for after-death arrangements that embrace our needs,
preferences and rights.
Let’s look at how our
mission applies to you and your families.
We “work together,” because
everything we do is done by our members – from conducting
periodic price and compliance studies of area funeral providers to
advocating for funeral consumer rights in the North Carolina General
Assembly. We are one of the most enthusiastic and active chapters in
the nation already.
We want to be “informed consumers,” because we know that an
informed consumer is a smart consumer. Do you know you have the right
to obtain a general price list from any funeral provider you visit,
without obligation? Do you know you can provide your own inexpensive
casket
from an outside source or make your own? Do you know that embalming is
never required by North Carolina law?
We research all “after-death arrangements” available to North
Carolinians in the Piedmont. We won’t tell you what to do with your
loved one's body; that’s your choice. But together we can identify
reputable providers who have reasonable prices, whether you want a
burial, a cremation, a donation to a medical school, or something else.
We can even help you learn how to care for your own loved one’s body at
home while taking your time to say that final goodbye. (Yes, it's
legal, and it can save you thousands.)
We are all about your “needs, preferences, and
rights,”
because nobody will ever care as much about the funeral consumer as
another funeral consumer. We are here for you -- just as we hope you
are here for us.
Funeral Consumers
Alliance focuses primarily on Forsyth and Guilford Counties and to a
lesser extent the counties of Alamance, Davie, Davidson, Randolph,
Rockingham, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin. We have reciprocal relationships
with FCA affiliates throughout the U.S. We're nonprofit and
nonsectarian and welcome funeral consumers without regard to religion,
race, age, gender, orientation, ethnicity or income level.
Some chapters of Funeral Consumers Alliance make part of their mission
negotiating directly with funeral providers for member discounts or
special member rates. We have chosen not to do this at this time. For a
discussion of this policy go here.
However, there are some things you can do on your own to provide for an
affordable funeral. For ten tips go
here.
It is even possible to arrange your own funeral or that of a loved one,
to be your own "funeral director". Don't believe it? Go here.
Please support us by
joining and/or donating today!
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