WASHINGTON (March 15, 2022) - FEMA announced today it has provided over $2 billion in COVID-19 funeral assistance to support more than 300,000 applicants grappling with the financial stress and burden caused by the pandemic. FEMA is also launching a new outreach campaign and continuing to process applications to ensure that this program -- already the largest offering of funeral assistance in FEMA’s history -- reaches additional eligible families in need.

Express Funeral Funding is thrilled to announce the launch of their new website, www.expressfuneralfunding.com. The new platform provides a sleek, leading-edge design, coupled with impeccable functionality and a comprehensive overview of the expansive services Express Funeral Funding offers.

Changes, especially at work, can be stressful. They come in a variety of forms: new computer systems, reorganizations, shifts in responsibilities, personnel turnover. We are very rarely the ones initiating the change. Rather, we are more likely to find ourselves constantly responding to a wide variety of changes, all at the same time! Therefore, it makes sense for us to spend time developing strategies to deal with this barrage.

OGR's monthly feature previewing education, events and other opportunities coming up over the next three months.

The Messenger Company is pleased to announce the acquisition of Bass-Mollett Publishers. The acquisition brings together the funeral industry’s two leading stationery providers - both of which are OGR supply partners - whose combined product line, personalization options and technology solutions will create the broadest product platforms available for funeral homes.

OGR's monthly feature previewing education, events and other opportunities coming up over the next three months.

Have you ever had an unexpected medical bill with excessive out-of-pocket costs from an out-of-network provider? Beginning in 2022, this will be an issue of the past.

Not that many years ago, coffee only came in regular and decaf, and most households had a choice between just three television channels. The world has changed tremendously. Consumers now expect everything to be readily available, delivered overnight, in any color they desire, regardless of what they are buying. Amazon and Starbucks created these expectations and now consumers desire instant gratification. If we think we can serve the needs of the 78 million Baby Boomers and their families in the same way we served their parents, then we are whistling past the graveyard.

The information below comes from some of the leading experts and information resources on healthy living. LIG Solutions, an OGR supply partner, has curated these articles to help keep you up-to-date on the latest news, trends and data on leading a healthier lifestyle, which can help save you money and keep your health care costs down when paired with the benefits of your health coverage.

The unexpected death of a friend and colleague to COVID-19 in January 2021 led me to start researching how American death rituals were transforming during the pandemic. My friend was Hindu, and while watching his funeral on Zoom, I witnessed the significant transformations that had to be made to the traditional rituals to accommodate COVID-19 safety guidelines.

While many people enroll in their health insurance during the Open Enrollment Period (OEP, for those under 65 years old) and the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP, for Medicare beneficiaries), those are not the only times in the year where you can sign up for health coverage. There are still options available outside of OEP and AEP for individuals, families and businesses looking for health coverage.

With last year’s winter COVID spike pushing the entire funeral profession to the brink, ASD – Answering Service for Directors spent the majority of 2021 preparing for the next big wave. For the leading funeral home answering service, planning ahead in the pandemic age requires the company to build up its workforce to ensure the call volume does not exceed staffing levels. After a major company-wide shift toward remote work, ASD is now fully staffed and ready to confront the next potential COVID surge. Despite a recent increase in call volume, over the past 30 days, less than 3% of incoming calls to ASD have been placed on hold.

The Order of the Golden Rule Foundation is excited to announce it has significantly expanded its Awards of Excellence scholarship program.

Ladies and gentlemen: Start your engines! Join us in Indianapolis May 15 - 17 for the return of OGR's Annual Conference! 

Alexandra "Allie" J. Caselli is a 24-year-old licensed funeral director & embalmer at Leete-Stevens Family Funeral Homes and Crematory in Enfield, Connecticut.

Do you have interest in going to warm and sunny Scottsdale, Arizona, in February?

Jeremy Field of CPJ Field in the UK was recognized for his vital contribution to the funeral sector over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marlene "Marty" Shoemaker is the co-owner & operator of Clifford-Shoemaker Funeral Home & Crematory in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. She shared her experiences with running a successful funeral home that has been around since 1905.

OGR is committed to providing you with the professional development opportunities that address the challenges independently owned funeral homes face, and prepare you for the next stages of funeral service. After all, we have over 90 years of experience serving professionals just like you.

Do you ever notice that during the Christmas season, we always hear the comment “Christmas comes so quickly, it's over before you know”?