Since 1939 thoughtful people in the USA and Canada have found participation in a nonprofit organization the best way to assure dignity, simplicity and economy in after death arrangements. Founded by individuals concerned with the exploitation of consumers by some in the funeral business, these organizations are not part of the funeral industry.

Here in Leon County, the Funeral Consumer Association of Leon County is such an organization. We are a nonprofit organization under the laws of the State of Florida. We have no paid staff - all the work of our organization is done by volunteers - and all our income derives from voluntary contributions, which are fully tax deductible. Our mission is to inform the public, to help households avoid stressful and costly decisions at the time of death, and to advocate on behalf of ordinary citizens, in the public arena, concerning legislation and regulation of the funeral industry.

The Funeral Consumer Association of Leon County is also part of a network of about 120 such organizations around the country, under a national organization, The Funeral Consumer Alliance .

All these organizations are democratically governed, nonsectarian and committed to freedom of choice in after-death arrangements. Since they are consumer oriented and encourage members to express their own religious and philosophical values, they have received the endorsement and encouragement of major consumer, senior citizen, religious and labor organizations.