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A Real Education
by Christine Toson Hentges
We thrive on emotions in this business. We work with families on a preneed basis to help them better prepare for one of the most emotional times of their lives. We work with families on an at-need basis to help them remember, in an expressive, touching way, a life lived. We encounter a range of personalities and stages of grief in the people who come to our cemeteries and funeral homes. As professionals, we need to be able to handle each emotion we feel and encounter.
After attending ICFA University in July, I am struck by one point more than any other -- that each person who attended the university has deep feelings toward our industry and the families we serve. Everyone involved with a cemetery or funeral home must feel a passion for what we do and compassion for the families we serve, or this industry would not be needed. With empathetic managers and coworkers, we can work with our grieving families in an effective way. Each person at ICFAU, whether a student or instructor, had what it takes to be successful. The feelings they expressed for their work came from the bottom of their hearts.
The university was attended by many different types of cemetery and funeral home personnel who shared the common goal of bettering themselves and contributing something extra to their organizations. And the university delivered, offering a great deal of information to bring back to the workplace. Classes covered basic information, which can never be taught too much, as well as complex material. Issues were concentrated and presented in a useful manner.
The motivation transferred to the students from the instructors was amazing; the instructors relayed inspirational messages to take back home and shared personal and professional stories that helped illustrate changes in the industry.
In addition to the knowledge passed on by instructors, classmates had opportunities to acquire expertise from fellow attendees during casual conversations throughout the week. Hearing associates' perspectives on day-to-day challenges was for me the most fulfilling part of the university.
Outside the classroom, we participated in activities that contributed to our knowledge in other ways -- the tour of Memorial Park in Memphis, the softball game, the rib restaurants and ... Beale Street. The tour of Memorial Park was wonderfully educational and fascinating, and the other extracurricular activities supplied a different sort of enthusiasm.
ICFA University was overall a wonderful experience; the scholarship I received from the ICFA Women's Forum to attend the university was greatly appreciated. I was looking forward to going to Memphis, but still was surprised at how much useful information was taught throughout the week. The value of the education was apparent by the high number of return students. Once you attend, you seem to be drawn back to the university. I will definitely return next year to expand on what I learned this year. I highly recommend ICFAU to anyone who has the strong emotional connection most of us feel toward this industry.
Christine Toson Hentges is general manager of Pinelawn Memorial Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was the winner of the 2000 Women's Forum ICFA University Scholarship.
Women's Forum ICFAU Scholarship Application
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Copyright ICFA 2000.
Individual written contributions and advertisements appearing in International Cemetery & Funeral Management do not necessarily reflect either the opinion or the endorsement of the International Cemetery and Funeral Association.
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