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Welcome to the Funeral
Consumers Alliance of the Piedmont!
We are a chapter of the national
organization Funeral
Consumers
Alliance. Our effort is to provide useful information for
funeral planning, in particular, inexpensive and alternate options for
residents of the North Carolina Piedmont area. To date our principle
achievement is the publication of our price survey
which assists consumers in shopping among local funeral services.
On this page we have also provided a number of links which you might
find useful. As we receive new requests for information we continue to
update our resource list. Please feel free to contact us for additional
information.
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Thanatology
book
club launched
FCA of the Piedmont is sponsoring
the
new Piedmont Triad Thanatology Book Club. Thanatology
is the study of death
and dying and all of its related aspects. We're organizing this book
club for Piedmont Triad residents who hunger for a forum where they can
feel comfortable discussing issues surrounding life's end. This group
is likely to appeal to people of all ages who have a healthy curiosity
about the practical, emotional and spiritual aspects of death and
dying. Individuals who work in the social professions (e.g., social
workers, educators, clergy, medical professionals), caregivers,
students, creative elders, and those living with a life-limiting
condition may be among those who would enjoy this group. Club members
will choose the titles we'll read as well as how often we'll meet and
where. Books to be studied will be diverse.
If you plan to attend the book club,
RSVPs are requested. You can learn more about the book club and
sign up as a member at
http://www.meetup.com/Piedmont-Triad-Thanatology-Book-Club
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FCA-Piedmont 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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