Excerpt from a press release.
The Funeral Service Foundation gratefully accepted more than $320,000 in major gifts and pledges in 2018, which has allowed the Foundation to further advance its mission to support funeral service in building meaningful relationships with the families and communities it serves through the expansion of its successful Youth & Funerals Initiative and Foundation ’45 Awards.
“Whether it’s a state association, an allied professional, a firm, or an individual, our donors are deeply dedicated to funeral service,” said 2019 Foundation Chair Bob Arrington. “Their major gifts underscore that commitment, and allow the Foundation to serve and inspire funeral service professionals throughout their careers, and to make a measurable impact within the profession.”
The majority of the major gifts and pledges were made in support of Fund ’45, the Foundation’s annual fund, named in honor of the year the Foundation was established. Fund ’45 directly supports the Foundation’s operations, mission and vision…
For the second year in a row, Messenger gave a $10,000 donation in support of a Fund ’45 matching gift summer campaign. “The reason Messenger supports the Funeral Service Foundation and Fund ‘45 is simple,” said Bob Hoaglund, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing. “We want our profession to be the best it can be and ensure we have programs in place to educate and continually improve. This will make all of us better and impact our communities in a really positive way.”
These major gifts helped the Foundation raise more than half a million dollars in 2018, which, in part, allowed the Foundation to award grants to the National Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition, Eluna (formerly The Moyer Foundation), and the Hospice Foundation of America. Additionally, the Foundation has expanded its Youth & Funerals Initiative and its Foundation ’45 Awards…
Since 1945, the Funeral Service Foundation has served as the profession’s philanthropic voice. As the charitable arm of the National Funeral Directors Association since 1997, the Foundation receives operational support from NFDA and donors across the profession to help advance its mission to support funeral service in building meaningful relationships with the families and the communities it serves.