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Having No Money to Pay for Funeral

Crowdfunding has proven to be a reliable and popular method of raising funds for funerals and memorials. If a family is unsure how to pay for a funeral because they don’t have any money, we frequently see friends and family members who knew the deceased pitch in to donate to a fundraiser or help with bills for related expenses. The cremation services in College Park, MD have seen many families raise the funds they require because people are often grateful to be able to help tangibly. Aside from raising funds, the fundraiser can provide a space for family and friends to share their thoughts and memories.

Funeral Fundraising Suggestions

Storytelling and restaurant fundraiser

Collaborate with a restaurant to raise funds for the funeral of a loved one. Request the restaurant to donate a small percentage of its sales on a specific night. The event attracts new customers, and by giving back, the restaurant gains community recognition. Inviting family, friends, and community members to a night of good food and good company will raise funds for your loved one’s funeral expenses while also allowing others to share their memories. You can even make it a storytelling night, with family and friends telling their favorite stories about the deceased.

Sporting event for charitable purposes

Funeral fund-raising ideas can go beyond car washes and bake sales. Holding a benefit tournament in your loved one’s favorite sport is one way to honor or celebrate them while raising funds.

Parks and community centers can make excellent venues, and space is usually free or cheap to reserve. Whatever sport you choose, organize small games, perhaps four-on-four, so that many people can participate at the same time. Participants can pay for their spot on a team by donating to your fundraiser.

Community painting project

If your loved one was an active member of the community, consider commissioning a public mural on a wall provided by a local business or civic organization. You can create a portable mural on canvas for a less public celebration. Locations such as public parks, fields, or community centers can be useful.

Provide paints, tiles, and brushes, or request donations from art stores. At the event, solicit donations for your fundraiser.

cremation services in College Park, MDHealing in conjunction with a ritual

Mourning is a healing process on many levels, both individually and collectively. An event in which family and friends participate in a healing ritual is one way to promote healing.

You could make a community quilt, a scrapbook of memories, read poetry in a circle, sing in a circle, or plant a tree. You can provide food and drinks to participants if you want. Before the event, solicit donations for your fundraiser.

Funerals unite people to mourn, celebrate and heal. Although the costs can be high, crowdfunding is a tried and true method of raising funds while bringing people together in the name of a loved one. Start your fundraiser right away if you haven’t already. The cremation services in College Park, MD are here to assist you in any way we can. Please contact us right away to schedule an appointment or stop by our office.

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Creating Memorial Slideshows

Memorial slideshows have grown in popularity over the years because they are an excellent way to remember a loved one. Slideshows can be used to illustrate life, personality, and hobbies by including surprising, special, and personal details in addition to the typical personal photos. These specifics allow you to share with viewers everything that you believe makes your loved one unique. The funeral homes in College Park, MD can assist you with this.

Creating a funeral slideshow entails going through a lifetime’s worth of photos and mementos. This is frequently a good way to work through grief. It’s also a fun activity to do with your family. Going through old family photos can be a cathartic experience for everyone, as well as a bonding experience for family and friends, full of both laughter and tears.

Slideshows are much more than a collection of images. When properly organized and presented, they can tell the story of a person’s life and personality, their experiences, and the world around them. The slideshow can be designed to be a tribute as well as a wonderful way to share your special memories.

Putting Up Your Memorial Slideshow

The slideshow can be shown in two ways during the funeral or memorial service. The slideshow could be shown during a ceremony, complete with music and dubbing. A slideshow can also be shown at a memorial service or reception. The slideshow will be only part of the display at a memorial reception, and there should probably be no music or dubbing because people are often socializing.

Selecting Software for Memorial Slideshows

A slideshow can be shown by projecting it from a computer or by displaying it on a digital photo frame. First, decide on the software to be used. There are numerous options, some of which are free and some of which must be purchased. There are numerous options available if you use a computer. Google Slides in Google Docs is the most basic and free slideshow option. You can use Google Photos to upload images and create an online slideshow. While it is free and simple, it has fewer features than most slideshow software. Music cannot be easily added, and transitions are limited. You can also download the slideshow as a PowerPoint presentation, but if you don’t have PowerPoint, the slideshow works best when presented through Google Docs.

Gathering Photos for a Memorial Slideshow

Plan on six to eight photos per minute when gathering photos for a funeral slideshow. 60 to 80 photos would be required for a ten-minute slideshow. When going through old photos, try to gather photos of your loved one as a baby, child, or young person. Collect photos that depict relationships, such as spouses, dating, friends, and even pets. Consider graduation, jobs, children, memberships, hobbies, the armed forces, volunteer work, special vacations, and more.

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When you have everything ready to go for the slideshow, import the photos into your slideshow software. Remember to include who is in the photo, where it was taken, when it was taken, and what occasion it was taken for. The more information you provide, the more viewers will enjoy learning about your loved one. I hope this information assists you in creating a beautiful, memorable memorial slideshow for your special loved one. These slideshows can help creators not only work through their grief, but they can also be cathartic for viewers as you, your family, and your community share memories. For more information, contact the funeral homes in College Park, MD.

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The Advantages of Online Memorials

We all have loved ones, families, friends, partners, or children who are the center of our universe. We adore them to the moon and back. With them, we have a lifetime of memories. Some are joyful and bring smiles to our faces, while others bring tears to our eyes; but these are memories that should be saved forever, even after our loved ones have passed away. These are the memories to cherish and enjoy in private, to share with those we care about, and even to pass down to future generations. You should look into cremation services in Adelphi, MD to assist you with preserving your loved one’s memories.

There are several options, but none are as secure or long-lasting as an online memorial. Online memorials help you celebrate the person you love and grieve the loss of a loved one. Let’s see how it goes.

Online Memorials Assist Us in Keeping Memories Alive

Without a permanent record, each of our memories dies along with us. Because everyone who knew the person you loved can share their memories there, an online memorial is an ideal way to ensure that does not happen.

Online Memorials Assist Us in Preserving Memories and Mementos

An online memorial allows you to digitize old printed photos, letters, certificates, and other items and save them in a single location online. As a result, all of the photos and mementos that various family members and friends of your loved one have stored on their mobiles, computers, notebooks, documents, and boxes can be brought together in a solitary, safe, and secure location that is accessible forever.

Online Memorials Enable Us to Tell the Stories of Our Loved Ones

A good online memorial will allow people to share their memories of the deceased. These memorials allow you to comment on other people’s stories, which adds incredible depth to those stories.

Online Memorials Bring Us Together and Encourage Us to Share

In a world where families are increasingly dispersed across the country and the globe, an online memorial is a simple, practical way to bring everyone together to remember and celebrate a loved one who has passed away.

cremation services in Adelphi, MDOnline Memorials Keep Your Memories, Announcements, and Other Information Safe

Online memorial providers generally use a high level of security to protect memorials and the personal information they store. They use industry-standard encryption technology and data security practices to ensure that only those you allow to see your loved one’s memories can do so. There are different access levels, so you can invite some individuals to see the memorial only, while others can be given access to add memories and comments, for instance. That means everything will be safe and secure for the foreseeable future.

As you can see, these specialized services effectively future-proof your most cherished memories of a loved one. Those memories will be preserved forever, and future generations will be able to learn about the amazing person your loved one was; but perhaps most importantly, an online memorial provides you with a secure, dedicated, purpose-built space to reflect on, celebrate, and relive the laughter you shared in your loved one’s life, and to visit whenever you want. With benefits like these, it’s no surprise that online memorials are becoming increasingly popular. Visit the cremation services in Adelphi, MD for more information. You can also call us right now.

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Eulogy for a Close Friend

It’s terrifying not to see your best friend again; it fills your mind with anguish and sorrow. After experiencing a sudden loss, writing a eulogy for a friend’s sudden death is extremely difficult. Finding words to describe your feelings during a time like this is difficult. However, it is also critical to share their impact on the community and us.  How do you write a eulogy for your closest friend? Let the funeral homes in Adelphi, MD assist you in comprehending what an obituary is and how you can compose a heartfelt eulogy for a friend.

You can pay a heartfelt tribute to a friend at a funeral by preparing an obituary or a eulogy for them. You may include little memories that surfaced while growing up together and reminiscing about the life you two shared.

What Exactly Is an Obituary

Almost everyone has heard the phrase obituary at some point in their lives. It could be in the tiny side articles of the daily newspaper, radio announcements, or television broadcasts. It’s a method of conveying to the world through your words on paper that your cherished one has passed on to the afterlife.

What Exactly Is a Eulogy

In layman’s terms, a eulogy is a life sketch or tribute speech read at a loved one’s funeral. It can also be expressed in the form of a song or a poem, or it can be presented in the form of symbolic items placed on or near the coffin, such as something the beloved deceased has enjoyed or treasured, such as their favorite flowers, hockey stick or toys, or other similar items.

Reading a few short eulogy examples for a friend will give you a good idea of what to say or write.

An obituary is not the same thing as a eulogy, which is typically delivered at a funeral or memorial service. An obituary is a piece of writing, whereas a eulogy is a speech delivered at a loved one’s memorial service. Choosing a speaker is an important part of funeral planning.

A well-written obituary can be a good place to start for the person delivering the eulogy at your friend’s funeral or memorial service. You can also use it as part of the death notice or the memorial service program.

Creating a Eulogy for a Friend

Many people wonder how to write a eulogy for a friend. Examining numerous obituaries written by families and friends reveals that an excellent funeral tribute to a friend tells the stories of the beloved one’s life in their tone, using their language, thinking, perspectives, and similar.

funeral homes in Adelphi, MDIt’s always a good idea to have at least two people, including one family member, proofread your obituary for spelling, grammar, and factual errors. If something incorrect is published, family members may be upset.

The goal of putting together a eulogy is to reconcile glimpses of the beloved one we lost and to pay tribute to a friend at a funeral. Death is a natural and unavoidable part of life. All that remains are the memories of the person who lived, which we cherish through the glimpses of the world we shared with them. Thus, writing a farewell funeral speech for a friend is critical for preserving the essence of the deceased in the words of their loved ones. The funeral homes in Adelphi, MD provide a wonderful way to honor the life of a loved one. People close to them will be able to reminisce about their lives for generations to come. Call or visit us right away.

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When Might a Family Choose Interment?

Interment can mean several things, but essentially it is the placing of a person’s remains into a permanent and sealed site. This could refer to either burial or an aboveground space, such as a columbarium. With regards to cremation services near College Park, MD, interment is one of many options when it comes to how to handle your loved one’s cremated remains. There are many reasons why a family might choose interment for their loved one, and here are a few of them.

One of the main points about interment is that it provides a permanent resting place. Many people value this aspect, and some religions actually require it. It can provide great comfort knowing that your loved one’s cremated remains are able to rest in peace, without fear of being moved, tampered with, or misplaced. A person who is planning their own final arrangements may find comfort in this idea as well.

In addition to the ease of mind that a permanent resting place can provide, it can also be nice for family and friends to have a place where they can visit their loved one, any time that they wish. People often visit the grave of a loved one on special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries. Sometimes, they may simply want to feel close to them on any other given day. The family will often visit to lay flowers or other decorations at their loved one’s grave or niche, as well. This can be a comfort to those who are grieving, and throughout the years can allow you to still feel close to your loved one at times.

Some people may want to scatter some of their loved one’s ashes or keep a portion of them in a keepsake urn or piece of jewelry. However, they might still choose to have the remaining ashes interred. This flexibility is nice for larger families who have differing wants and needs. You can still have the knowledge that your loved one’s remains will rest in peace, but you can also keep a part of them close to you at all times if you wish. One caveat to keep in mind that is with certain religious beliefs, all of the cremated remains must be interred, so keeping some aside for scattering or keepsake jewelry is not permitted.

cremation services near College Park MDInterment is one of the most common ways to handle a person’s ashes after they are gone. Because it provides a permanent resting place, as well as a place for family and friends to visit, it is appealing to most families. You won’t have the risk of misplacement that might come with keeping ashes in an urn. If your loved one has passed away and you are looking at different options, contact your provider of cremation services near College Park, MD. They will be able to connect you with a cemetery or columbarium if you don’t already have one in mind. They can also introduce you to the different types of services and merchandise that they have available. Then, you can find a way to lay your loved one to rest that will give you peace of mind.

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How do the Funeral Director and Staff Help You?

It’s common to feel lost after a person you love has passed away. You may not know what direction to turn, or what to do first. With all the grief you are feeling, the thought of planning a funeral is the last thing on your mind. When you speak to your funeral home near College Park, MD, the funeral director and staff there will do as much as possible to help you through this difficult time. Here are some of the ways that they make this process a little bit easier for you and your family.

One of the most daunting parts about dealing with the death of a loved one is all the documentation and paperwork that is involved. It can feel intimidating trying to complete it all, and you might be worried that you have forgotten something important. Fortunately, the funeral home staff have lots of experience in dealing with these matters. They will help you obtain the necessary documents, help you fill them out if necessary, and they will make sure that they are sent to the right places. That way, you can have fewer worries about these types of logistics.

Planning and carrying out funeral services are one of the major tasks of the funeral director and staff. They will sit with you and your family to discuss your wishes for your loved one’s final arrangements. This will include the location of the services, what kind of merchandise will be necessary, whether you want to have a viewing beforehand, and more. Once they have established everything that you want to proceed with for the services, they will take action to make it all happen. You won’t have to worry about making any plans or phone calls beyond that. This will allow you and your family to spend more time together, processing your loss.

funeral home near College Park, MDIn addition to making all the arrangements beforehand, the funeral director will also be present while the services take place. They will ensure that everything goes according to plan, and if there are any issues, they can be addressed immediately. That way you can focus your energy on honoring the memory of your loved one. Additionally, they will be available after everything has concluded, in case you need extra help or resources. Many people find themselves seeking counseling or support groups to help them deal with their grief. The funeral home has many resources that they can connect you with to help you cope with your loss in any way possible.

By hiring the services of the funeral home near College Park, MD, you will be hiring the services of an experienced funeral director and staff. Their duty is to help you and your family through this difficult time, making it as easy as possible for you under the circumstances. Then, you and your family will be better able to focus on supporting each other, helping each other learn how to cope with your loss and grief, and honoring the memory of your loved one.

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What are Your Options for Storing Cremated Remains?

After someone you love passes on, there will be many difficult decisions to face. You will have to plan their funeral or memorial service, as well as choose their method of disposition. Hopefully, they will have given you some idea as to what they would have wanted so that you and your family don’t have to make those tough decisions alone. If they chose cremation services near Adelphi, MD then you will have some other things to consider. When a person is cremated, their family receives back their remains in the form of ashes, which are held within a temporary container or urn. What to do with them after this is up to the family.

Many families will purchase an urn to store their loved one’s ashes in. These come in a wide variety of styles, materials, and more. You can find simple engraved wooden boxes, which can be customized to fit your loved one’s memory. Many classic urns resemble large vases, which can be made from ceramic or metal. They may have a variety of patterns on them, or they might be simpler, with a single color and a small engraving. You can also find many more unique styles of urns, some of which might be sculptural, some of which may be intended to be placed outside, and more. These are all available to provide a variety of options because each person has a unique personality and past. That way, you can find one that will properly honor your loved one’s memory and can make you feel like they are closer to you if stored in your home.

Another, more permanent, solution that many people choose is interment. Interment involves either the sealing of a person’s ashes in a columbarium niche or the burial of their ashes in a cemetery. This provides a permanent resting place for your loved one’s remains, and it also provides a place for family and friends to visit any time they want. Many people take comfort in these things and appreciate the fact that their loved one’s remains will be safe and secure for time immemorial. The unfortunate fact is that when you keep an urn in your home, there is always a risk of it suffering damage, or even becoming misplaced over the years. That’s why many people choose interment instead. You can always keep the urn in your home for a period of time, with the intent to eventually have their ashes interred, as well.

cremation services near Adelphi, MDThese are only two of many different ways to handle a person’s ashes after they have been cremated. What you decide to do will depend on what your loved one wanted, what you and your family prefer, your religious beliefs, and more. It is not a decision to be taken lightly. Your provider of cremation services near Adelphi, MD can help you look through merchandise, and they can also connect you with a cemetery if you are interested in interment. That way, you can choose the best possible way to handle your loved one’s remains, so that they are respected and honored even after they are gone.

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What to Do if You Lose a Loved One that Lived Alone

 

Having a loved one pass away is never easy. In addition to all the difficult decisions and tasks you must undertake after their passing, you are grieving the loss of a person who you loved. Your funeral home near Adelphi, MD can help you with all the logistics and planning when it comes to documents and funeral planning. However, if your loved one lived at their home alone, you may have a few extra things to consider.

If the person had any pets, you or another family member will need to make sure that they are being properly taken care of. Whether this means going to their house several times a day to let them out to feed and water them or taking them with you to stay in your home, something will need to be done. You may choose to keep them as your own, or you might start looking for a loving new home for them. Either way, they cannot be neglected in the event of their owner’s passing.

Another thing to address is any kind of trash or perishables that may still be in their home. You will want to clean out their refrigerator, take out their trash, and take care of any other items that can go bad and cause issues. That way, you don’t walk into a surprising mess or smell that is even more difficult to clean up. With everything else you have on your plate, this is a simple problem that you can easily avoid.

Make sure to collect their mail regularly, as well. Most people will continue to receive important mail and bills until all the paperwork is final. These do still need to be paid and taken care of. You can collect their mail at their home, or you can have it all forwarded to your address to make things easier on you. Another reason to take care of this is that when a person’s mailbox begins to accumulate mail, it is a signal that no one is home or has been for some time. This can encourage illegal activities like people breaking in to steal, squat, or vandalize. Those are definitely things that you want to avoid happening to your loved one’s home.

funeral home near Adelphi, MDThese are a few of the most important things you will need to consider after your loved one has passed away. At some point, you will also need to figure out what you plan to do with their home. You may want another family member to live there, you might want to simply keep it for a while, or you may choose to put it up for sale. While your funeral home near Adelphi, MD is there to help you with making all the arrangements for your loved one’s funeral and burial, these are some things that you and your family will have to address on your own. Having a little guidance beforehand can help ensure that you don’t forget anything important in those difficult days after their passing.

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Environmental Impacts of Burial vs Cremation Services

There are a growing number of reasons to consider the way our actions impact the world around us. This can relate to nearly every aspect of our lives, from what foods we eat to what kind of cars we drive. You might not have considered it, but even a person’s final arrangements can have some kind of environmental impact. Whether you choose traditional burial or cremation services near College Park, MD for yourself or your loved one, there will be some kind of ecological footprint left behind. Here are some of the ways that each one might compare to the other when it comes to their environmental impacts.

First of all, let’s take a look at cremation services. The cremation process is not a perfectly clean process, although it does have a relatively minimal impact. The main issue is the creation of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, which are released during cremation. Additionally, there may be more toxic substances released depending on if the person had anything like mercury dental amalgams, etc.

When it comes to traditional burial practices, it becomes a little bit more complicated. There are different factors that can result in a greater or lesser negative effect on the environment. For example, it’s very common for people to purchase embalming services, so that their loved one may have a viewing prior to their funeral. Embalming uses several different chemicals, some of which are toxic, like formaldehyde. After the burial, these substances are able to enter the soil and may harm the local ecosystems. There are some more eco-friendly embalming methods available, however, they are generally not as effective and don’t last for as long of a time.

Another issue with burial is that many caskets are made with materials that have been treated to delay their decaying and breaking down in the soil. Typically, these are valuable hardwoods that have been chemically treated to last longer. The chemicals used for these treatments are also detrimental and toxic to the soil, which is an issue that many people want to avoid. Fortunately, there are options out there for untreated wood caskets, as well as using other natural materials like a cloth shroud made of linen, cotton, or silk. This option also reduces the use of valuable resources like precious metals and hardwoods that may be put to use in other ways, rather than being buried in the ground.

cremation services near College Park, MDAs you can see, there’s not a straightforward answer when it comes to which is better for the environment. Cremation has its own issues, and burial has many as well. With burial, many of these problems can be addressed and avoided, which is a fortunate thing. However, when you look at a traditional burial and compare it to cremation services near College Park, MD, cremation is less impactful in many ways. If your loved one was passionate about the environment in life, you may want to try and plan their final arrangements in a more responsible way. You can do this by choosing cremation services, or by opting for more eco-friendly practices for their burial.

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What to Look for in a Funeral Home

If you don’t already have an established and trusted funeral home near College Park, MD but you are in need of one, there are some things you should consider. Choosing a place to hold your or your loved one’s final services is not something that should be taken lightly. It’s important to find a business that will treat you and your family with care, honesty, dignity, and respect. These are some questions you should ask and research you might want to do when you’re faced with finding a funeral home.

First of all, find out what kind of experience they have. Experience is important when dealing with such sensitive subjects as planning funerals and cremation services. Along with this, you can also find out if the business is locally owned, or part of a larger conglomerate. Locally owned funeral homes are often the better option, and there are several reasons why. When a funeral home is owned by someone within the community, they often have a better feel for what kind of services are needed there. They can deliver quality customer care and service because they know many of the people they are helping personally. You can trust that they are invested in helping to take care of this important part of the community’s needs.

One thing you should definitely ask about is their pricing and levels of services. You want to make sure that they are up-front and clear about what they have to offer, and what everything will cost. Ask about a pricing sheet or details that are easy to understand. That way, when you are putting together your loved one’s arrangements, there will be no surprise fees or expenses. The costs can quickly add up when you’re planning a funeral and burial, so you want to be sure that you’ve agreed to everything you’re paying for.

funeral home near College Park, MDSomething that you should probably do when hiring a business for any type of service is to look into their reviews and testimonials. Many funeral homes will list testimonials from past clients and customers, and these will give you an idea of what kind of service to expect. You can also search for the name of the funeral home in your search bar and look for other reviews available online. If there are any issues or red flags that you should be aware of, this could be a good way to learn about them. Additionally, if they are well-established in your community, you can ask around family and friends to see if any of them have had experiences using that funeral home.

These are some of the basic things to keep in mind when you’re faced with finding a funeral home. This is likely a difficult and emotional time for you and your family, and you want to find a place that will respect your family’s wishes and needs. By doing some of this due diligence in finding a funeral home near College Park, MD, you can give yourself more peace of mind that you’ll have a positive and respectful experience in laying your loved one to rest.