President Message March 2025
Greetings All,
It is hard to believe that we are already in March and the gateway to spring. Although the signs are certainly in the air. Football is over, congratulations Eagle fans, basketball and hockey are winding down and we are in the middle of spring training for baseball. Not to mention a bit warmer temperature, which is much needed in some places. The snow is melting, all 20 plus feet of it in the north country.
It is also a time of increased activity for us at the NYSFDA. We had our March meetings in the first week and they were productive. The Bridge Commission met to discuss their annual Student Day, which will be held on Saturday, April 5 at our office in Albany. This year over 50 students signed up from three of the four mortuary schools in New York. They will come together for a day of hands-on learning and networking. Student Day has been held for several years now and has had amazing success and feedback from those who attend.
The NYSFDA board met with several items on the agenda, some of which were in-house governance topics and others that affect you, our members directly. First, going forward we will be seeking additional member feedback as part of an enhanced legislative agenda setting process. The Board and staff are also looking into working with a third party to conduct a statewide evaluation of our industry. The goal is to help identify needs, trends, and projections for the future of our industry. Our hope is that a fresh set of eyes from outside our profession may have input and ideas that are difficult to identify by those of us who are living it day-to-day.
Finally, we reviewed the nominating and election dates and deadlines. Nomination notices went out on February 21st and are due in by March 23rd. The nominations will be turned over to the Nominating Committee for review and recommendations. Online voting begins June 6th and closes June 21st. Everyone who is duly elected will be sworn in at our Annual Meeting on August 18th in Saratoga. And lastly, I want to welcome our new members, Brown & Powers Funeral Homes in Canisteo and Angelica, Affordable Cremation Services of New York in Central Islip and Unique Mortuary Services LLC in North Bellmore.
I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful spring, much deserved in some areas.
In partnership,
Scott C. Hendrix
President