(Sterling, VA)–Ninety funeral directors and mortuary science students completed the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association’s Cremation Arranger Certification Program on December 2 at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science (PIMS) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Participants in the six-hour program received the Cremation Arranger Certification, signifying they had been trained on how to arrange and create meaningful tributes and memorialization for cremation families and how to best communicate those options to them.
“The ICCFA’s commitment to the future of our profession includes contributing to the educational process by providing specialized training to better serve today’s consumer,” said Mark Krause, CFuE, president of Krause Funeral Homes and Cremation Services, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and ICCFA’s liaison to the American Board of Funeral Service Education.
Krause served as an instructor along with Ernie Heffner, CFuE, president of Heffner Family Owned Funeral Home & Crematory, York, Pennsylvania, and Julie A. Burn, CCrE, CSE, director of cremation services for the ICCFA.
PIMS President and CEO Gene Ogrodnik, CFSP, said he was extremely pleased to host the event. “A review of the evaluations distributed at the end of the program was overwhelmingly positive in terms of the program and delivery,” he said. “All attendees took home great information that they will be able to implement immediately in their professional practices.”
“PIMS already offers a cremation course in its curriculum,” he added. “This certification for students will be an added benefit for any employer.”
The ICCFA will conduct its next Cremation Arranger Certification program on March 30 at John A. Gupton College in Nashville, Tennessee. For details and to register, visit www.cremationcoach.com.
Founded in 1887, the ICCFA is the only international trade association representing all segments of the cemetery, cremation, funeral and memorialization profession. Its membership is composed of more than 7,500 cemeteries, funeral homes, crematories, memorial designers and related businesses worldwide.
