From Left to Right: Steve Shaffer, 2015 Funeral Service Foundation Chair, and Steve Gackenbach, Memorialization Group President for Matthews International and Funeral Service Foundation Trustee
Brookfield, Wis. – With appreciation, Funeral Service Foundation Executive Director, Kathy Wisnefski, announced yesterday that Matthews International pledged a major gift of $200,000 in support of the Foundation’s mission to fund projects and programs that support all of funeral service in building meaningful relationships in the community.
Matthews’s contribution is the largest single gift presented to the Foundation this year and secures the company’s place as a “Community Pillar” on the Foundation’s Donor Recognition Honor Roll, which is based on a donor’s cumulative giving.
“Matthews International has supported the Foundation in a range of significant ways, including helping to fund our academic and professional development scholarships,” said Wisnefski. “This major gift is a true testament to the Company’s commitment to both funeral service and the Foundation’s efforts to support professionals throughout every stage of their career.”
“We have been honored to support the Funeral Service Foundation over the years and witness its positive impact on all of funeral service,” said Steve Gackenbach, Memorialization Group President of Matthews International. “Matthews is deeply committed to supporting the continued growth of the Funeral Profession, and we are pleased that our gift will help provide the Foundation with the resources necessary to engage and develop current and future members of the funeral service profession.”
Matthews is a leading supplier of products and services to funeral homes and cemeteries across the United States and in other countries around the world. As a leader in the Memorialization Industry for more than 160 years, Matthews partners with its customers to help them grow their businesses, and to help families Move from Grieving to RemembranceTM.
Wisnefski made the announcement during the opening general session at NFDA’s annual Convention & Expo in Nashville. Attended by nearly 1,000 funeral directors, allied professionals and leaders within the profession, the annual ceremony kicked off the world’s largest gathering of funeral service professionals. Steve Gackenbach, Memorialization Group President for Matthews, and newly elected Foundation trustee, was present for the announcement and presented Wisnefski with a ceremonial check.
The contribution from Matthews will directly support the Foundation’s proactive efforts to seek relevant and innovative funding opportunities that enhance the funeral service profession, benefit funeral directors and allied professionals, thus making a timely impact on local communities.
About the Funeral Service Foundation – FuneralServiceFoundation.org
The Funeral Service Foundation is the leading public foundation dedicated in perpetuity to serve the funeral service profession. In alignment with its mission, the Foundation supports all of funeral service in building meaningful relationships in the community by commissioning innovative research, funding programs and professional development, administering scholarships and assisting communities in crisis.
About Matthews International – matw.com
Matthews International Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a designer, manufacturer and marketer principally of memorialization products. Memorialization products consist primarily of bronze and granite memorials and other memorialization products, caskets and cremation equipment for the cemetery and funeral home industries.
