« It's the most wonderful time of the year | Main | Cold as a witch's,,, »
December 12, 2005
Tell me more
Have you ever thought about a career in embalming dead people? Hey, you're never going to run out of 'em!
Career day at Concord High School in Staten Island brought in firefighters, postal workers - and a well-dressed man with a brochure titled "Searching for a career that's 6 feet above the rest?"
Matthew Funeral Home co-owner Matthew Scamardella talked to students about his job, showed a video about funeral directing and - he hopes - nudged some teens toward a different career path.
Funeral directors nationwide are focusing on keeping their ranks flush amid fears they may not be able to meet demand when baby boomers start reaching the end of their natural life spans.
In New York, funeral directors are reaching out to guidance counselors and a few dozen, like Scamardella, are taking the campaign to their local high schools.
"We definitely need to have more people thinking about funeral service as a calling," said Scamardella, a third-generation funeral director. "Your average youngster is not going to waltz into funeral service and say, "Oh, I'll just give it a go.' "
Posted by oz115 at December 12, 2005 08:29 AM