BROADVIEW, IL, January 12, 2017 – The families of 111 fallen first responders were served in 2016 by Commemorating First Responders®, a philanthropic program of Wilbert Funeral Services, Inc. (WFSI) and its Licensees. Through the program Wilbert and its Licensees throughout the United States and Canada were honored to donate burial vaults, urn vaults, urns, and a graveside service to first responders who died in the line of duty.
Families of firefighters, law enforcement officers and emergency medical personnel received, at no charge, a Wilbert Stainless Steel Triune® burial vault when traditional burial was chosen. If cremation was chosen, Wilbert offered families a choice of any urn in their catalog or online at WilbertDirect.com; if the cremated remains were to be buried, a Stainless Steel Triune urn vault was also provided. Each burial vault or urn vault is able to be customized with a Wilbert Legacy Series print depicting the hero’s profession (donated by partner Legacy Prints) or a print that is personalized with photos.
In 2016 the burden for the families of 72 law enforcement officers, 36 firefighters, and 3 emergency medical personnel was made a little lighter because of the program. Since the program’s inception in 2012, 600 first responders have been served.
The nearly 200-strong network of Wilbert Licensees shared in the contribution of the burial vault and urn vault, but also provided, where permitted, a WilbertWay® graveside setup, which displays the vault cover and then seals and lowers the vault.
“The first responder community has been extremely appreciative of the help the Wilbert network provides to families who lose a loved one in a line of duty death,” said Terry Whitlock, WFSI vice president, licensee relations. “But it pales in comparison to the service provided by all first responders.”
Visit www.wilbert.com and the Commemorating First Responders Facebook page at www.facebook.com/WilbertFuneralServices for more information on the program and the brave men and women who left us all too soon while in service to their communities.
