Dear Neighbor,
Welcome to our fall issue which we've filled with a variety of interesting articles we hope you’ll find helpful. It's hard to believe that school is in full swing and the holidays are just around the corner.
Speaking of the holidays, whether this is your first holiday season without a loved one or your twenty-first season, it is natural to experience feelings of sadness or nostalgia. To help you remember that special person this year, we hope you will attend our Tree of Memories event on December 4th, 2011.
Coping with the Holidays
Dealing with the stress and anxiety of the holidays can be difficult enough. Dealing with holiday stress can certainly be compounded when experiencing your first holiday without your loved one.
Holidays are about being together with the important people in your life including your spouse, children, family and friends gathering together to make more memories and creating new traditions. But what is actually happening is a renewed sense of personal grief. When a loved one is very ill or has died, even the memories of holidays past can be too painful to think about, let alone beginning new ones without that person. We strongly encourage you to attend our special holiday seminar. You'll learn some helpful tips to get you through the holidays and beyond. As always, all of our seminars are complimentary.
Sweet Cookies...Sweeter Mission
Congratulations to Casey’s Cookies for being selected the “People’s Choice” for this year’s
net proceeds from our commemorative Angel Ornament sales. Voting took place on our
Anderson-McQueen Facebook page from August 15th to September 15th and it was a real
“nail bitter” right down to the final minutes. Casey’s Cookies received 1,022 votes, just six
votes ahead of Ready for Life. We want to thank all the charities who participated in this
year’s “People’s Choice” runoff and we encourage each of you to enter again next year.
Our two runner ups each received donations in the amount of $250 from Anderson-McQueen
for their participation in the event.
Let’s take a look behind the scenes at Casey’s Cookies, their mission and their inspiration.
Flameless Cremation Is Now A Reality
Anderson-McQueen Funeral & Cremation Centers has a long-standing tradition of offering families all available options - whether for burial or cremation. "We are pleased to be the first funeral home in the world to offer Bio-Cremation services on a commercial basis to our families," stated John McQueen. "By providing families with all possible options and educating them on what is available, they can make better informed decisions on what is most important to them when dealing with end of life issues."
Today, more than ever, many families are trying to lead a lifestyle that is harmonious with Mother Nature. Many are concerned about the environmental impact they will leave behind for the next generation. Therefore, in addition to our existing flame cremation offerings, we are pleased to introduce this new earth-friendly alternative.
The Queen Hates Bickering
After many years of planning funerals for families
of all races, incomes and ethnicity, I'm always amazed at
the level of procrastination they all seem to have. The one
group whose procrastination has always caused the most
confusion for me has been the wealthy. Every time I
would sit down with a family for whom money was no
issue, they would immediately inform me they did not
want to prearrange. Their reason was always: "There will
be plenty of money to bury us." This reminds me of an
old saying: "You don't know what you don't know."
Staff Spotlight
Welcome Pete Simonis, CFSP, CPC
Peter was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri and began his experience in funeral
service right out of high school in 1982. While attending Webster University in Webster Groves,
MO, he became a Licensed Funeral Director in 1985.
Comfort Circle
In keeping with the tradition of caring and service, Anderson-McQueen Family Tribute Centers offer the Comfort Circle®, a grief support class that is designed to help with grief reconciliation, giving support and encouragement to group members. The Comfort Circle allows group members the opportunity to share and talk about their loss, their feelings and their hopes all within the safety and presence of people who understand. Comfort Circle is a six week course offered exclusively by Anderson-McQueen and presented by Carole McLeod, Bereavement Facilitator and Continuing Care Coordinator. There is No Charge and the class is open to the public.
A Cool, Delicious Treat
On July 31st, we held an old fashion ice cream social at our Tyrone Chapel. Despite Mother Nature being uncooperative as we had a tremendous thunderstorm, we had the opportunity to enjoy some delicious sundaes with over sixty individuals who dodged the puddles and the bolts to enjoy some good old fellowship.
Summer Photo Contest Winners
Over the summer, we held a photo contest. We asked for entries from families we have served either through our funeral home or through our pet division. Shown here are the winners of this year's contest.
The winners received either a $50 Splashin' in the Sun! Cold Stone Gift Card or a $50
PetSmart Gift Card. Congratulations
to both winners and thank you to all who entered. We hope you'll enter again next summer.
Remember, it's the memories we make today that our family and friends will cherish for years to come.
Best of St. Petersburg 2011 Award
Anderson-McQueen Funeral Homes was selected as the Best of St. Petersburg in the Funeral Directors category by the US Commerce Association (USCA). The USCA recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country who have achieved exceptional marketing success in their communities & category. These are companies that enhance the image of small business through service to their customers and community.