Are Death and Charity Always Connected?

Death is a touchy subject, and people certainly have a lot of questions. Who wouldn't?

Here at Remembered.com we know that people are stressed and emotional when they lose a loved one. We try to answer every email that we receive as best we can and be sensitive to the feelings of people during bereavement. But this week we received a surprising email from someone who asked about charity...

Not really about charity, it was more subtle (NOT) - actually he asked if we are "simply making money off of people's grief?" And followed it with "That would be pretty scummy if you do."

WOW... It took me a long time to craft a response to that one...

I can't imagine walking into a funeral home and accusing them of "making money off of people's grief". To my knowledge, funeral homes, headstone makers, cemeteries, and other memorial sites are all businesses that don't donate large portions of their income to charity. Maybe they do - but I think you'd hear about it. As a six month old startup, we don't have a lot of money to donate either - but we HAVE been offering free memorials for many worthy causes in the last six months to help build awareness for them. For example:

• October - Free Memorials for Breast Cancer Awareness month
• November - Free Veterans Memorials for Veterans Day through Pearl Harbor Day
• December - Free Memorials for World AIDS Day
• January - Free Firefighters Memorials
• February - Free Memorials for Heart Disease Awareness month
• March - Memorials for Kidney Awareness month and an Organ Donation public awareness campaign

I thought our track record was pretty good. But this one email did get me thinking about how often charity is linked to a person's passing...

If you Google about charitable giving when someone dies, you'll be deluged with information about the great tax deduction that you get for doing so. You don't get much guidance about which of the many charities are best to give to for one reason - it's a very personal matter. We each have our own sympathies - there are many charities that speak to each of us in our own very personal way.

What about the deceased? Someone who dies of a heart attack may wish you give towards childhood literacy instead of the Heart Association. And since the top 10 causes only account for 55% of deaths - what about the other 45% - do they deserve less attention because of their lower body count? In 2010 Cancer became the leading cause of death worldwide - meaning we've made some great strides against malaria, AIDS, and heart disease. This begs the next question - WHICH of the thousands of cancer charities is best to help? Do we help those suffering with Cancer now? Or help those trying to prevent Cancer in the future?

There are no easy answers when death or charity are the topic...  Here's what I told our critic.

We started Remembered.com to celebrate lifetimes, not to have people wallow in grief. Simply put, this site is for the living to remember those they love. And as a 6 month old endeavor, we can always do better. So I'll tell you what we're going to do to make things better... 

1. April is Autism Awareness month. Autism is on the rise and becoming a major problem in society, affecting 1 in every 110 children - and even more startling 1 in every 70 boys born. Traditionally we would have given away free memorials to build awareness. But Autism is a problem for those living through it, or caring for someone who does. So instead we are going to give $5.00 for every paid memorial during the month of April to Autism Speaks. It's a great charity. If you don't want to create a memorial, you can donate directly to them here.
   
   
2. We are going to make redesigns to both the Funeral Notice and the Online Memorial that will allow people to specify a link to the charity of their choosing that will be tied to their memorial - forever.
3. We will help provide information to help people select charities that return a high percentage of funds raised back to their causes. CharityWatch.org lists those charities that return more than 75% of their funds on programs serving those who'll benefit from that charity. I encourage you to review their rating list next time you think of giving.

And from now on, at least at Remembered.com - Death and Charity will always be connected.

Think we made the right choice? Leave a comment below...

Remembered.com is Cool Site of the Day!

Great news coming in from all around!

Yesterday we passed 2000 "Likes" on Facebook and over 1000 followers on Twitter.
That would be reason enough to celebrate, but today we got an even better one!

March 16th, 2011 we were selected as Cool Site of the Day!

So today I'm asking for all your help in voting for us to be highly ranked at CSOTD.
Go to this link - http://bit.ly/h7miAs - Rate us a 10 and click SUBMIT

What could be easier? Thanks for the assist!

Andy & the staff @ Remembered.com

A Message for the Living...

Maybe you didn't know it, but March is National Kidney Month. In fact - March 10th is World Kidney Day. Certainly not the most glamorous day of the year is it? I'm sure it's not even on most people's calendars. 


The green ribbon is very fitting since March 10th is
World Kidney Day. Cuz just a week later, most kidneys
are getting a serious workout on St. Patricks Day.

Lets face it. There probably won't be a lot of people wearing green ribbons next week like the more popular pink, yellow, and red ones. But that doesn't make the kidney any less important. I am most certainly not talking about the kind of things that get cleared up by drinking some cranberry juice...

Chronic Kidney disease affects 26 Million Americans - and most people don't even know they have it. Kidney disease is often silent without any symptoms, it can sneak up on you, especially those who are not aware of the major risk factors. If you have high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of these conditions or kidney disease - you should get your kidneys checked. Find out more information about screening here.

Okay - Now to what I really want to talk about.

PLEASE BECOME AN ORGAN DONOR

The human body is amazing. A living person can give up some lung, liver, or pancreas to save another person's life, and still live a relatively normal life themselves. But by far the most donated organ by a living person is the kidney. Remember this next time you wake up in a hotel room bathtub packed in ice: If you donate your kidney to a family member in need, they have a 70% chance of being around 5 years later to thank you for it. Take a look at this graph from 2009 (latest they had)...

The gap between what is needed and what is available keeps growing as our population ages. Currently:

•  110,460 people waiting
•  18 people will die each day 
•  1 donor can save up to 8 lives

This is a tremendous opportunity for you to make a difference in the lives of others after you're gone. You may think it's nothing to check off a box on a form. But it's a random gift of kindness to a complete stranger - and LIFE IS the greatest gift of all.

Go here to learn more information about becoming an organ donor... http://www.organdonor.gov/

Here at Remembered.com, we celebrate lifetimes. We want you to have a long and healthy one.

We're going to try to build awareness for National Kidney month by making memorials just 99 cents.

We hope you'll appreciate a 90% off sale, and if you've lost a loved one - create a memorial that all your family can share by getting the coupon here: http://remembered.com/healthy-kidney-month 

Thanks!

Andy & the staff @ Remembered.com

We're standing here with a Heart On!

Okay - I apologize. We've succumbed to the lure of the punny, racy headline. It's just a desperate bit for attention you see. Why are we looking for attention?

It's because February is American Heart Month...

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and in 1963 Congress proclaimed February to be American Heart Month. We're doing our part to raise awareness for people by offering free online memorials to anyone during the month of February. Here's some key things to know...

• Did you know that the tendency to develop heart disease is passed through family generations ?
• Heart disease can be prevented by practicing healthy eating habits and frequent physical activity.
• Friday, February 4th 2011 is National Wear Red Day so wear red and tell others to do the same.
• Monday, February 14th 2011 is Valentines Day. So let your sweetie know you love them!

So if you've got a family member who's passed away due to a heart attack, stroke, or any other heart disease - this is the month to remember them. Create a memorial to them and share it with the rest of the family to build awareness about our number one killer, and how it can be prevented. Click here.

One last thing...

We're at the end of a development cycle. We're about to do some maintenance upgrades to the photo gallery and shopping cart and then we're back to creating new enhancements and features to the site. We'd love to hear from you on what we do next. You can let your opinion be heard on Uservoice - where you can vote or leave ideas. https://remembered.uservoice.com/forums/96063-general 

Thanks for your feedback!

The Staff @ Remembered.com Online Memorial Websites

Super... Heroes...

In New York City, the murder rate has been steadily dropping since around 1995 or so. Which in itself is a great thing. At the rate it's going down, the leading cause of death in NYC will soon be "acting in the new Spiderman musical". Okay, I'm kidding - you're much more likely to die waiting for the airports to open after a snowstorm. I can't leave for 4 more days? Really? Come on!

So today's blog post is really about some real heroes. The ones you see every day and probably know a few. And since tomorrow is Volunteer Firefighter's day - it's only right that we talk about our nation's bravest. Lets start here - remember these guys?

It's pretty amazing that this image has been seared into our minds for over 9 years now. I was right across the street when it all happened. Watched from the windows as the towers collapsed. When I got home I didn't sleep, didn't shower, didn't shave, didn't speak, didn't leave the house for 3 days. I was glued to the TV set and my mental state was just... In a word... F@#KEDUP.

Not everyone retreated. Some heard the call and ran out the door. It takes a certain type of personality to run TOWARDS something that is going to wreck you. I'm happy that they passed the 9-11 responder's bill in Congress. The people who put themselves in harms way when everyone else was herding in the other direction - these are our heroes. No, wait - these are our SUPER HEROES. So on January 10th, 2011 we are going to celebrate those people who heard the calling, responded, and paid the ultimate sacrifice.

So to recap... Monday, January 10th, 2011 is Volunteer Firefighter's Day. If you see a fireman, a firewoman, or a dalmation. Give them a hand, give them a hug, give them a high five. They deserve it.

We are going to do what we do best. Give them a memorial. Because someone who paid the price deserves to be recognized. And if it creates an ounce of prevention, just one less fire, and a bit more appreciation for those that risk their lives - it will be 100% my pleasure.

Create a memorial for free here: Volunteer Firefighters Online Memorials

Thanks,

The Staff @ Remembered.com