Alliance survey offers facts about cemeteriesThe organization focuses on educating consumers about their options.BLACKSBURG - The Funeral Consumers Alliance of the Virginia Blue Ridge recently released the results of a year-long survey of cemeteries in Montgomery, Giles, Floyd and Pulaski counties, Radford and parts of Roanoke and Roanoke County. The Blacksburg-based alliance was formed three years ago as a chapter of the national Funeral Consumers Alliance, a nonprofit membership organization with 120 chapters across the country. Today, the local chapter has 82 members. Many Virginia cemeteries are not regulated by the State Cemetery Board, so consumers find it difficult to compare costs and services, said alliance president Marcia Bailey. This survey seeks to fill the void of information. The main hurdle in the beginning was compiling a comprehensive list of cemeteries. The alliance's nine board members combed state records, telephone directories and newspaper obituaries to find contact names and addresses. "Many of these little cemeteries are run by volunteers and only pay someone to mow," Bailey said. After compiling the list, the board drafted a two-page survey that mostly focused on costs of services and other fees. Several cemeteries didn't respond to the initial request for information, so board members called and in some cases visited the cemeteries to get information. Prices for burial plots in the New River Valley varied widely, from just over $100 to just under $1,000. Some cemeteries charge additional administration fees of up to $100, as well as fees for perpetual care of the burial plot and headstone, according to the survey. The survey also asked about financing options and special prices and services for veterans and children, all of which varied widely. Still, there are gaps in the survey. Some cemeteries may not have had the time or staff to respond, but some may have been wary of the alliance, Bailey said. When it was founded, the alliance was somewhat antagonistic toward the funeral industry and that may have caused some cemetery directors to shy away from the survey, she said. But Bailey and alliance members hope to change the reputation of the group among local funeral service providers. "We see ourselves not as adversaries but as informational and educational. We want to help funeral directors comply with the law," she said. Two years ago, the alliance also completed a survey of funeral homes in the area. According to past-president Isabel Berney, that survey found minor code and other violations at several local funeral homes. But the organization mainly focuses on educating consumers about their options. To that end, members give lectures and workshops on end-of-life issues around the valley and have fielded information requests from as far away as Warsaw, Poland, according to an annual report given by Berney to the membership in October. In these hard economic times, many people can't afford to pay top dollar to bury loved ones, Bailey said. "We hope to lead them to someone who will bury their loved one for not a lot of money." To request copies of the surveys or more information, call 953-5589 or visit www.funerals.org/fcavbr. Tonia Moxley FCAVBR Home Page |