Thank you to National Funeral Directors Association's Meet the Mentors Program which pairs new professionals with industry leaders. Jefferson Memorial had three of our funeral directors selected to attend this program in Washington, DC! Congrats to Allie Caselli, Cheyanne Cobbs, and Kayla Hutter for their hard work and dedication to personal and professional growth!

Twenty-seven funeral service professionals participated in the 2024 National Funeral Directors Association's 2024 Meet the Mentors program. This year, the program was held March 19-22, 2024, in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the association's annual advocacy summit.

The selected funeral professionals - all aged 40 or un­der or new to the profession (first licensed within the last five years) - had the opportu­nity to meet, learn from and talk with innovative and successful funeral professionals. Meet the Mentors also helps participants to network and form relationships with other new professionals.

Our staff spent the day on Capitol Hill with NFDA advocacy summit attendees and participated in meetings with members of congress to share the story of funeral service and advocating on behalf of our compassionate and hard-working colleagues.

Meet the Mentors has been wholly funded by the Funeral Service Foundation since its 2011 inception. The Funeral Service Foundation's generous grant provides exclusive, career­ transforming access to three mentors and other leaders in the profession, and covers attendee registration fees, three nights' lodging and select meals. The individuals selected to attend only pay for their transportation to and from Washington, DC. The Funeral Service Foundation's support of Meet the Mentors helps fulfill its mission of lifting up grieving communities by investing in people and programs that strengthen funeral service.

Complete details about the Meet the Mentors Program can be found on the NFDA website, www.nfda.org/mentors.