The Keeping It Personal (KIP) Awards were started in 2001 by the ICCFA’s Personalization subcommittee to encourage the sharing of ideas for personalizing services and products to better serve families.
You can learn more about our award winners and find more information below
Cemetery Category – Most personalized service, memorial, or event winners
2022
First Place
H2oLyfe
Green Hills Memorial Park – Rancho Palos Verdes, California
Over the last several years, Green Hills Memorial Park has seen the loss of hope by so many young people who chose to end their own lives. H2oLyfe is a movement that aims to help those affected by hopelessness to find a community in one another and utilize water activities to open their hearts and minds to the hope that life provides. H2oLyfe shares the stoke of the ocean with the young people in their community to remind them of the easy access to this calming resource. Fun skills and activities on the water to build confidence, happiness, and camaraderie. They believe having a Blue Mind, or a mildly meditative state characterized by calm, peace, and unity, can help anyone who may be experiencing mental illness, be it temporary or long term.
Honorable Mention
Jefferson Memorial Park Paints the Park Pink in Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Jefferson Memorial Park, Funeral Home, Crematory & Arboretum – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
In August 2022, Jefferson Memorial Par, held its 10th Annual Car Cruise which raised over $2,200 in support of the American Cancer Society. To follow this event and to continue its charitable outreach with the American Cancer Society, Jefferson Memorial Park hosted its first-ever Paint the Park Pink in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and all the families we serve who have lost a loved one to cancer. Paint the Park Pink was held the first weekend in October and partnered with Relay for Life/American Cancer Society Northeast Region to provide free pink flowers to all families visiting a loved one at the cemetery to place at their graveside. Cemetery staff met with families and answered pre-planning questions, handed out maps, surveys, and assisted families navigate the cemetery grounds. The Relay for Life/American Cancer Society Northeast Region staff also met with families and discuss activities, programs, fundraising and provide more information for those seeking cancer resources.
2021
First Place
9/11 Memorial
Washington Park Cemetery Association/Buchanan Group – Indianapolis, Indiana
In partnership with the Buchanan Group, Washington Park Cemetery Association commemorated the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and the lives lost by unveiling the 9/11 Memorial. This symbolic memorial features 2,977 medallions with the names of those who lost their lives, and the nine fallen Hoosiers have a blue state of Indiana medallion added to their names. The medallions are suspended from the ceiling which forms the shape of “9/11”. With the help of Washington Park Cemetery, artist Arlon Bayliss, Bob and Mark Buchanan, Buchanan Group’s President Tony Lloyd, was able to create the 9/11 Memorial in a way that was both innovative and impactful.
Honorable Mention
Champions Of Change: A Celebration Of Women’s History
Hillside Cemetery – Wilton, Connecticut
To safely engage the local community, and to tie-in with the 100-year anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote, Hillside Cemetery’s Executive Administrator Pamela Brown created Champions of Change: A Celebration of Women’s History. This self-guided walking tour recognizes local women and their significant contributions to Wilton and beyond. By walking this new annual tour, you’ll meet women who will not only educate, but inspire you to realize the power within you to help make your community the place you want it to be now and in the future.
Past Winners
Funeral Home Category – Most personalized service, memorial, or event winners
2022
First Place & Overall Grand Prize
Star Trek Memorial – Boldly Going Where No Funeral Has Gone Before
Pray Funeral Home Inc. – Charlotte, Michigan
This memorial service or celebration of life was developed to showcase the life of a young man, Rob, who had a life full of accomplishments and challenges. The family had come to Pray Funeral Home with a challenge of putting together something meaningful that was outside the traditional scripture-based funeral or memorial. They had many thoughts but weren’t‘ sure how to assemble them. Joe E Pray, the funeral director, suggested developing Rob’s memorial to include Star Trek elements. When the ideas started to flow, the family shifted from a mindset of making funeral arrangements, to one of imagining how they could showcase Rob’s life and share the lessons they had learned from him that may be helpful to others. Their grief was beginning to transform into healing. This celebration of life was built on thoughtful quotes, music, and other modern references to convey a meaningful message of hope.
Honorable Mention
Certificate of Service and Challenge Coin Initiative
Flanner Buchanan – Indianapolis, Indiana
The team at Flanner Buchanan works with J. Stewart Goodwin, Brigadier General, USAF (Ret.), to visit veterans who are in hospice care to present them with the Certificate of Military Service and conduct the Challenge Coin Ceremony. Brigadier General (Ret.) Goodwin uses his resources gathered over his 37 years of service to obtain each veteran’s military papers, such as a discharge or a DD 214. The family is invited to attend the ceremony where the veteran is presented with their certificates and the Challenge Coin, a tradition that began in WWII. A conversation between Goodwin, the veteran and their family take place; starting from the day they enlisted in military service to the present. These discussions can include everything from stories about military life, experiences outside of military services or significant moments in their life.
2021
First Place
Hannah’s Home Funeral Green Burial
Connecticut Life Tributes – Wallingford, Connecticut
The death of children, especially infants, can be the most challenging, for both the parents and funeral directors. When Amanda King and Jayson Dahlgard of CT Life Tributes/Bailey Family Funeral Homes took the call from local parents asking for a green burial service for their child, they knew they had to find a way to pull off this tremendous assignment. Being only a few months old, Hannah succumbed to health complications after birth, which had led her to never being able to live a day outside the hospital. Amanda and Jayson realized the gift it would be to finally bring Hannah home to their family, albeit to say both hello and goodbye – as her green burial also became a home funeral for their family. They created an infant-sized shroud, making straps out of felt fabric. One of the straps was embroidered with Hannah’s name, two flowers to symbolize her parents, and three stars for her siblings Hannah never was able to meet. The parents were not only able to shroud her with guidance from Amanda, but also had the opportunity to take her shrouded body to their garden to adorn with their own homegrown flowers and herbs – a piece of their home forever bundled with her now.
Honorable Mention
Cade’s Memorial Service
Cloverdale Funeral Home – Boise, Idaho
When Cade Hollis, a 10-year-old boy who had a love for animals, passed away in a Seattle hospital during the COVID-pandemic in 2021, funeral director Heather Welborn went beyond to memorialize Cade’s life. COVID restrictions were still at an all-time high, so Heather was able to have a memorial service at the local petting zoo to accommodate gathering restrictions. Personalization touches included awareness ribbons for Cade’s heart defect, a large jar full of Cade’s favorite candy, a basket filled with Cade’s favorite dinosaur figurines that were given out, and so much more.
Past Winners
Innovative Personalized Product Category
A product that memorializes in a personal and meaningful way. The product may be physical or virtual and may include, but is not limited to, memorials, monuments, urns, art, printed material and web-based tributes. Submissions for this category are limited to Supplier Members
2022
First Place
KeepTrack™ – The QR Body Tracking System for Funeral Homes & Crematories
Gather – Meridian, Idaho
KeepTrack™ by Gather was built for single to multi-location funeral homes, crematories, and trade businesses who are looking for a body tracking system to keep better track of their chain of custody, prevent body or belonging mix-ups, reduce legal liability, and boost their reputation. The hardware includes tracking tags, keepsake medallions, and a cloud-based integrated software system. Funeral homes and crematories can view any case and track the location of every decedent using a digital whiteboard and build customizable workflows and task lists. Simultaneously, they can build beautiful Remember Pages for families to view and interact with to honor their loved ones for years to come. In addition to several more features, users receive a dedicated account manager and unlimited support at no extra cost.
Honorable Mention
Chronicle
Chronicle Cemetery Software – Victoria, Australia
Founded in Melbourne, Australia, Chronicle’s goal is to enhance community engagement with the cemeteries by helping digitize and maintain accurate cemetery records, making cemetery management more effective, safer, and meaningful. Over the last four years, Chronicle has helped 200+ cemeteries worldwide efficiently manage their records and elegantly share their deceased details online. Chronicle is an easy-to-use cloud-based cemetery management software that combines high-quality burial plot mapping with deceased records to create an immersive user experience. The user-friendly daily management tools and interactive mapping technology allow the public to locate the graves of their loved ones, reserve a plot for future use, and create digital memorials for the departed.
2021
First Place
AFTR’s Solarpowered & Weatherproof Cemetery Cameras
AFTR – Brooklyn, New York
Founded in 2018, AFTR is a product that sets out to increase accessibility to burial sites for family and loved ones to be there when they cannot, changing the way people visit burial sites. With two camera types to choose from, GroundCam and MountCam, visiting your loved ones has never been easier. Through AFTR’s solar-powered and weatherproof camera and subscription-based app for iOS and Android, families can connect to their loved one and ensure their memorial is being cared for.
Honorable Mention
The Visit Box
The Visit Box – Windsor, Colorado
After losing her father unexpectedly during the COVID-19 pandemic and experiencing gravesite mementos being lost, Regan Espinosa created The Visit Box. This patent pending weatherproof box allows families and friends to securely store items and tokens at their loved one’s gravesite. This innovative product offers a solution to families’ fear of having their mementos lost or damaged.
2020
First Place
The Memory Maker
Capstone Technologies – Haines City, Florida
The Memory Maker is a web-based video recording app that captures the memories, stories, and condolences of mourners. By clicking on a link or scanning a customized QR code, families and friends are able to leave a video recording on any web-connected device. These videos can be shared and stored for later viewing. Funeral directors can post their clients’ Memory Maker link in their obituary, give it to the family to share on social media, and even print their custom QR code in the funeral bulletin or in a sign to display at the funeral. This virtual product has the option of adding a physical component – funeral homes can download the videos and store them on a DVD or flash drive for the family to keep.
Honorable Mention
TribuCast™
TribuCast™ – Wilton, Connecticut
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TribuCast further innovated their product to further meet their clients’ needs for the present as well as the future. The TribuCast™ Remote Attendance System™ creates a private online environment that closely matches the in-person experience of attending a funeral. Thanks to new technology, the product has the capacity to enable clergy, eulogists, and even musicians to contribute to the service from a variety of locations by using special effects including split-screen, screen-share, and more. Using TribuCast™ helps all loved ones grieve more effectively by including those who can’t be there in person and by creating a highly personalized enduring tribute to the life that was lost. Through its easy-to-use live stream technology and interactive touchpoints, TribuCast™ helps share family history and fond memories and put the life that was lost into greater context for both in-person and remote attendees.
2019
First Place
Parting Stone: Memorialized Stones
Parting Stone – Santa Fe, New Mexico
Parting Stone provides a service that offers a solid alternative to cremated remains. Families now have the option of receiving either “ashes” or “stones” following cremation. The shape, color, size, and texture of the solidified remains is 100% natural and varies depending on each unique batch of remains provided to their lab. Parting Stone’s solidification technology introduces a new form of human and animal remains and creates an entirely new category in death care. “Folks want permanent memorialization of their loss but, sometimes, just don’t know what to do with a box of ashes,” says Larry Stuart Jr., CEO of Cremation Strategies & Consulting. “The idea that remains can be offered as stones is monumental.” Click here to watch Parting Stone’s video.
Honorable Mention
Interactive Touchpoints
TribuCast™ – Wilton, Connecticut
2018
First Place
Domanicare
The Domani Group – Orem, Utah
Most aftercare programs are personalized and time-consuming, or efficient and impersonal. Because of the lack of time funeral home staff may have, The Domani Group developed Domanicare. Domanicare is a text message-based aftercare program that sends custom, personalized text messages that check in on the recently served families during their grieving. If the families respond, a highly-trained and compassionate staff responds, who continues this conversation with support. If the family has questions, the conversation is escalated and sent right away to the funeral home. All of the conversations are compiled and sent to the funeral home in a monthly report so they can see what families are saying about their services.
Honorable Mention
TOLAD (Totem Of Life And Death)
UPD Urns – Manassas, Virginia
Past Winners
Pet Category – Most personalized service or memorial winners
An outstanding example of a personalized funeral for a particular pet, or a very personalized memorial.
2022
First Place
Changing the Lives of Street Dogs
Capillas Señoriales Casa de Homanejas – Merida, Mexico
In October 2022, Mambo, a golden retriever and grief therapy dog at Capillas Señoriales, was present at the Congress of the State of Michoacán for the initiative of a law that trains street dogs for emotional assistance, educational assistance, and search and rescue assistance. Mambo has supported many grieving families, including the Deputy of the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico, Ernesto Núñez. After Núñez observed Mambo’s work, Capillas Señoriales was contacted to participate in the bill to create the state canine reintegration program. Mambo helped present the bill, which was approved with a majority of votes.
Honorable Mention
Fox, Canine Hero
Capillas Señoriales – Guatemala
Fox, a border collie and trained search and rescue dog, carried out many successful missions with his trainer for the Asociación Nacional De Bomberos Municipales Departamentales in Guatemala. Unfortunately, during a training session to receive an international search and rescue certification, Fox’s life was cut short. Capillas Señoriales conducted a beautiful celebration of Fox’s life for his trainer, members of the ASONBOMD, family members and their pets, as well as people who were rescued by Fox. The service included a video tribute, violin music, a white doves release, and a tree planting ceremony on Fox’s resting place.
2019
First Place
Honoring Mooresville Police K9 Division
Pet Pilgrimage Crematory And Memorials – Mooresville, North Carolina
For their 8th Annual Pet Life Celebration, Pet Pilgrimage Crematory and Memorials honored Mooresville Police Department, their local police department and K9 Division. Every year, the police department participates in Pet Pilgrimage’s Pet Life Celebration by bringing their K9 partners for the community to get to know. Pet Pilgrimage honored the retired K9s by engraving dog bowls and brought toys for them to play with during their retirement. Also, Pet Pilgrimage played a montage video of the K9s that were lost in the past year. Pet Pilgrimage ended with a presentation of a canvas portrait for each, and all the proceeds from this event were donated to a local charity called Save the Clefts Rescue, a group of volunteers that save and tube feed cleft palate/cleft lip puppies.
Honorable Mention
U.S. Marine Corp Canine Asur’s Story
Heart’s Companion Pet Memorial Center – Reno, Nevada