The Gardens at Gethsemane Receives a 'Keeping It Personal' Award

Editor's note: The following is a press release.

 has won an Honorable Mention in the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association’s 2011 KIP (Keeping It Personal) Awards, recognizing the best in personalization in the cemetery, funeral service and cremation profession.

Created by the ICCFA Personalization Committee, the KIP program honors recipients in five categories. The Gardens at Gethsemane was honored in the Event category.

The ICCFA’s 2011 KIP Awards contest drew 58 entries from across the United States, Canada, China and Guatemala. Marketing and communications professionals from outside the cemetery and funeral service profession performed the judging.

The Gardens at Gethsemane welcomed more than 2,000 community members onto their property for a . The cemetery wanted to attract the general public to their grounds — especially the children — to see that cemeteries are not sad or scary places, but rather are places filled with love, remembrance and heritage.

More than 1,100 pumpkins were presented to children who attended. Other event highlights included face painting, pumpkin bowling, arts and crafts, moonwalks, a costume contest and more. The cemetery partnered with the local , the and Mount Ida College with proceeds benefitting local children's programs.

 “We were extremely pleased with the broad range and high quality of entries to the KIP Awards program this year,” said Steve Bittner, chair of the ICCFA’s Personalization Committee. “The staff at The Gardens at Gethsemane demonstrate a strong commitment to serving the community and to providing meaningful services to cemeteries and the families that they serve.  They are true leaders within our profession and are very deserving of this prestigious award.”

All KIP Awards recipients will be recognized at the ICCFA 2011 Annual Convention & Exposition, March 19-22 at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and in ICCFA Magazine.

Founded in 1887, the ICCFA is the only international trade association representing all segments of the cemetery, cremation funeral and memorialization industry. Its membership is comprised of over 7,500 cemeteries, funeral homes, memorial designers, crematories and related businesses worldwide.