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WEYMOUTH, Mass. (August 2021)– The Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association (MFDA) has been honored with the 2021 Organizational Excellence Award from the New England Society of Association Executives (NE/SAE) for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The award was created to recognize the innovation and outstanding accomplishments of professional societies and trade associations throughout New England and celebrate its positive impact on their members and the industries they serve. MFDA was recognized for its initiative “The Direction of Dignity: Maintaining a Standard of Care for Those Lost to the Pandemic.” In presenting the award during the NE/SAE Annual Meeting, Board of Directors Chair Stephen Sousa stated, “With the COVID-19 pandemic, funeral directors were facing a mass casualty situation of unknown proportion and duration. The MFDA set out to give its members the tools and resources they needed to continue to care for the victims of the pandemic and those dying of other causes and to provide services to their bereaved families within the parameters of unprecedented restrictions which balance the health and safety of their employees. The MFDA addressed the pandemic by developing resources, best practices, and protocols that would allow funeral directors to continue safe and effective operations while allowing them to focus on their job of caring for Massachusetts’ bereaved citizens. MFDA’s impact on the industry is reflected in its best practices that have been adopted in other states across the country.” “We are all saddened by the many lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic and are very moved by this recognition of our efforts by my New England association colleagues,” said Margaret M. Nolan, MFDA Executive Director, and NE/SAE member. “During this unprecedented event, the MFDA staff and volunteer officers and board were relentless about providing information, resources, and service to support the work of our members. We recognized that our association’s voice and advocacy were integral to helping survivors provide final services for their loved ones and the important responsibility of protecting the health and safety of our valued workforce. This award helps recognize those efforts and reaffirms the importance of associations, but also sends a message to our funeral service community about the value that others place in their important, yet frequently unrecognized, work.” Added MFDA Past President Clarence R. Lyons of the Lyons Funeral Home in Danvers, “While the challenges we faced seemed insurmountable at times, the value of associations and the collective voice of a profession in their work to represent members was clear. I’m proud to have served as President of an organization composed of members who worked so hard to provide safe and respectful services to their communities during the pandemic. Their service has not gone unnoticed.” The Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association represents more than 450 funeral homes in the Commonwealth and is the largest representative organization of funeral service professionals in New England. In an average year, MFDA members provide services for more than 50,000 families, and during that same period, more than 2,000,000 people visit member funeral establishments. NE/SAE is the association for associations in New England and has 300-plus members representing professional societies and trade organizations throughout the six-state New England region. -xxx- For more information contact: Margaret M. Nolan, Executive Director Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association 536 Broad Street, #2, Weymouth, Massachusetts 02189 T: 781-335-2031 | F: 781-335-3245 | E: mnolan@massfda.org
WEYMOUTH, Mass. (August 2021)– The Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association (MFDA) has been honored with the 2021 Organizational Excellence Award from the New England Society of Association Executives (NE/SAE) for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The award was created to recognize the innovation and outstanding accomplishments of professional societies and trade associations throughout New England and celebrate its positive impact on their members and the industries they serve. MFDA was recognized for its initiative “The Direction of Dignity: Maintaining a Standard of Care for Those Lost to the Pandemic.”
In presenting the award during the NE/SAE Annual Meeting, Board of Directors Chair Stephen Sousa stated, “With the COVID-19 pandemic, funeral directors were facing a mass casualty situation of unknown proportion and duration. The MFDA set out to give its members the tools and resources they needed to continue to care for the victims of the pandemic and those dying of other causes and to provide services to their bereaved families within the parameters of unprecedented restrictions which balance the health and safety of their employees. The MFDA addressed the pandemic by developing resources, best practices, and protocols that would allow funeral directors to continue safe and effective operations while allowing them to focus on their job of caring for Massachusetts’ bereaved citizens. MFDA’s impact on the industry is reflected in its best practices that have been adopted in other states across the country.”
“We are all saddened by the many lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic and are very moved by this recognition of our efforts by my New England association colleagues,” said Margaret M. Nolan, MFDA Executive Director, and NE/SAE member. “During this unprecedented event, the MFDA staff and volunteer officers and board were relentless about providing information, resources, and service to support the work of our members. We recognized that our association’s voice and advocacy were integral to helping survivors provide final services for their loved ones and the important responsibility of protecting the health and safety of our valued workforce. This award helps recognize those efforts and reaffirms the importance of associations, but also sends a message to our funeral service community about the value that others place in their important, yet frequently unrecognized, work.” Added MFDA Past President Clarence R. Lyons of the Lyons Funeral Home in Danvers, “While the challenges we faced seemed insurmountable at times, the value of associations and the collective voice of a profession in their work to represent members was clear. I’m proud to have served as President of an organization composed of members who worked so hard to provide safe and respectful services to their communities during the pandemic. Their service has not gone unnoticed.”
The Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association represents more than 450 funeral homes in the Commonwealth and is the largest representative organization of funeral service professionals in New England. In an average year, MFDA members provide services for more than 50,000 families, and during that same period, more than 2,000,000 people visit member funeral establishments. NE/SAE is the association for associations in New England and has 300-plus members representing professional societies and trade organizations throughout the six-state New England region.
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For more information contact: Margaret M. Nolan, Executive Director Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association 536 Broad Street, #2, Weymouth, Massachusetts 02189 T: 781-335-2031 | F: 781-335-3245 | E: mnolan@massfda.org