Full Registration Details Coming Soon
Thursday, June 7th - Saturday, June 9th, 2012 In Tucson, Arizona!
Make your hotel reservation now (see info below).
Plenary Speakers
Ed Howard, Senior Counsel for the Center for Public Interest Law at the University of San Diego—Ed quickly became a friend to the funeral consumer movement in California in 2011 when he launched a bill to require funeral homes to post their prices online. Frustrated at his family’s inability to find any meaningful cost or service information on funeral home websites when a death occurred, Ed put his years of advocacy experience into action. Activists from FCAs throughout California joined the effort and Senate Bill 658—requiring online disclosures—was signed into law. He’ll inspire the crowd to become effective citizen activists at the state level.
Lisa Carlson, Executive Director of the Funeral Ethics Organization—Many readers know Lisa as the longtime executive director of FCA before her retirement in 2003. One the “grandmothers” of the home funeral movement, Lisa wrote the only books on funeral law around the country specifically for funeral consumers. In 2011 she asked FCA Executive Director Josh Slocum to co-write the third, Final Rights: Reclaiming the American Way of Death. Join Lisa (and her trademark humor) for a look at where the funeral consumer movement has been during her 25-year involvement and where it should go tomorrow.
Randy Garner, Co-Owner of Day Funeral Home in Randolph, Vermont—Randy’s relationship with the funeral consumer movement started off a bit rocky; he was a critic of the critics. But once he sat down with advocates Josh Slocum and Lisa Carlson, a trusted professional relationship developed. Randy will talk about how the funeral consumer movement looks to the funeral industry—warts and all—and suggest ways to break down prejudices so people of good will can work together to root out unsavory practices. Since Randy is an amateur stand-up comedian, we’ve asked to him to try to make the audience bust a gut while he punctures their bubbles.
Bart Windrum, Author of "Notes from the Waiting Room: Managing One's End-of-Life Hospitalization"—Most of us say we want a peaceful death, but very few of us actually get one. When his elderly parents declined and eventually died, Bart found this out in excruciating detail. A provocative public speaker, Bart will show how to effectively advocate for yourself or someone else at the end of life to avoid being sucked into the factory-like system of the modern American hospital.
Workshops
- Fundraising 101
- Fun with Phones—cheap and portable options, plus how to answer nearly any consumer query
- Websites For Dummies
- Creating and Maintaining a Membership Database
- Legislation and the Local Affiliate
- Price Surveys and Publicity
- Speaker's BureausHow to Make a Fun Presentation
- Building a Stronger Affiliate and a Better Board
- Networking with Secular Groups
- Green on the Cheap—having a green farewell without spending all your greenbacks
- . . . and more! Program in development and subject to change.
Accommodations
Because June is off-season in the Southwest, we’ve been able to get you a great deal at a nicely appointed hotel near the airport. The Holiday Inn Tucson Airport North is offering FCA attendees single or double rooms at $69 a night (not including taxes). If you decide to share a room, the total price will be $69 ($35 + tax per person). Suites are available at $99.
The hotel features:
- Free shuttle service to and from the airport, as well as to locations within 5 miles of the hotel
- Two restaurants/bars
- Free wireless internet in every room
- Swimming pool
- Small gym
All sessions will be held onsite, and the hotel is handicap-accessible. Make your reservations today! Call the Holiday Inn directly at 520-746 1161. Be sure to tell them you’re with the Funeral Consumers Alliance conference to get our special pricing.
