Atlanta Company Offers Solution for Abandoned Cremated Remains
Eternal Reefs Inc., the only company in the United States to offer underwater burial at sea in an artificial reef, is proud to announce the FARR Program (Forgotten and Abandoned Remains Reef), a solution for funeral homes dealing with the handling of unclaimed remains.
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) August 25, 2005 -- Eternal Reefs Inc., the only company
in the United States to offer underwater burial at sea in an artificial reef, is
proud to announce the FARR Program (Forgotten and Abandoned Remains Reef), a
solution for funeral homes dealing with the handling of unclaimed remains.
Thousands of funeral homes across the United States house hundreds of
unclaimed remains each year. Families are either too grief-stricken or simply
don't know what to do with them. According to Jack Springer, Executive Director
of the Cremation Association of North America, in 2004, more than 35,000 sets of
cremated remains were left at funeral homes across the country.
Cremation is growing dramatically in the United States with 678,092
cremations taking place nationally in 2002, about 27 percent of all deaths. By
2010, the procedure may be included in 40 percent of funerals, according to the
Cremation Association of North America. An astonishing 45 percent of families
that have chosen cremation still have the remains at home sitting on a shelf or
in a closet. With this dramatic increase, the number of unclaimed remains will
also rise. Approximately 20 states provide no legal guidance to funeral homes on
what to do with the unclaimed remains, or how long they must keep them.
The Eternal Reefs FARR Program offers a permanent living legacy to
memorialize the passing of these individuals with a Memorial Reef Ball. An
Eternal Reefs Memorial Reef is a permanent memorial in the ocean that creates
new life as reef habitat for fish, turtles and other forms of sea life. It is a
designed reef of cast concrete that includes the cremated remains. Cremated
remains are mixed into the concrete as the reef is being cast. The reefs, which
last for over 500 years, then cure for approximately one month and are placed at
a permitted location.
“The greatest celebration of life is to provide
the opportunity for new life, and the living-breathing legacy of a Memorial Reef
is a dignified and meaningful environmental memorial for a loved one, says Don
Brawley, founder, Eternal Reefs. “Families and friends need to have the peace of
mind that their loves ones have a final resting place and honored
memorial.”
Funeral homes that have the legal right to appropriately
dispose of cremated remains are eligible for the program. For more information
about the FARR Program contact George Frankel at 404-875-1876.
About
Eternal Reefs Inc.:
Eternal Reefs, Inc is an Atlanta-based company that
provides creative environmentally enhancing means to memorialize the cremated
remains of a loved one. The company incorporates cremated remains into a
concrete mixture used to cast artificial reef formations. The artificial reefs
are dedicated as permanent memorials while also bolstering natural coastal reef
formations. Expected to last 500 years, over 300 memorial reefs, have been
placed off the coasts of Florida, South Carolina, Texas, New Jersey, Maryland,
North Carolina and Virginia. Contact Eternal Reefs Inc. at: http://www.eternalreefs.com.
# # #
Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/8/prweb276408.htm