Welcome to FCA of Utah!
We are a 501(c )(3) non-profit, all-volunteer run organization.
Our mission is to provide Utah citizens with information about simple, dignified, economical funeral options and the tools to carry them out.
Why? Because when people make informed choices we believe more and more funerals will reflect the family's deepest values instead of the values of an industry. This in turn will reduce shame associated with spending less and increase the value of the funeral as a deeply meaningful and cathartic experience.
FCA of Utah is an affiliated member of the national Funeral Consumers Alliance.
Message from the President:
In 1994 I saw an article in the newspaper about a man in New Hampshire that made a plain pine casket for his dad. In the article a Funeral Director was quoted as saying, "A lot of people want to be buried in a pine box, but when it comes time they end up with the standard commercial casket." I was dumbfounded. Why can't a customer get what THEY want? So I did some research that made me conclude I needed to join join FCA (then called FAMSA, Funeral and Memorial Societies of America).
Six years went by, when in 2000 I had seen enough of articles in my local newspaper depicting families who purchased a funeral they couldn't afford, relegating themselves to fundraising to pay the bill. I exclaimed, "Don't they know that a funeral doesn't have to cost so much?!" Determined to liberate Utah families to care for their dead in an affordable way I, with a small group of enthusiasts, started the Utah affiliate. And here we are 11 years later.
Our most dramatic event happened in 2006 when the Utah Legislature took away our ability to file a death certificate and handed it exlusively to Funeral Directors, some of which lied about the law and up-sold families who only wanted a death certificate. So in 2009 we convinced the Legislature to return to citizens the right to file a death certificate directly with Vital Records.
Besides watching the Legislature like hawks now, FCA of Utah assists hundreds of families every year with information and support. Many of these families haven't the means to donate. Would you please consider becoming a sustaining member of FCA to preserve this information so all Utah families will have access to the choices that belong to them?
Your Donation Supports
- Biennial Price and Ethics Survey of funeral dealerships throughout Utah
- Information about alternatives to pre-paying
- Advice on green burial, simple and do-it-yourself options
- Free phone help and website access
- Availablity in the future (because we are very frugal with your money)
- Transferable membership to 92 FCA affiliates nationwide
Contact Information
801-226-2323
FCAofUtah@gmail.com
