In a World of Diversity, here are some Ideas to help your Cemetery bring Unity to your Community!

Thank you for the important work that you do!

Imagine, you are Mr. Tombstone Jack and you have been working in the cemetery, you stop to survey and ponder over your days work, wipe the sweat from your brow and look up over the trees and see the spirit of Benjamin Franklin and then… ~Benjamin whispers; “Show me your Cemetery and I will tell you the character of your community!”

This is your work, and you do it with craftsmanship. You seek to preserve the legacy of the past- even all those who built your community, and you strive to provide a beautiful and safe place for all to visit!

So… what is the character of your community, and how will YOU help make it better?

Here are some of our ideas from the Tombstone Jack team!

RAISE AWARENSS:

Awareness raising is very powerful, because it educates people about topics which are new to them and encourages them to participate in bringing change.

Create articles in the newspaper, Tv, Radio, and social media. Discuss recent changes, and requests for services.
- Find a volunteer to be your marketing director:

Ask a capable youth or adult for help to create videos and photos of before, during and after projects- remodels and events. Seek ideas from the community and share them with your local news and on your social media.
Create pages, groups and blogs for people to share stories of their ancestors that helped build the community.
Forward and share Obituaries from the past.
Share a new YouTube video clip of what a day is like at your cemetery
Create a story time during the day, evenings and weekends for children and adults.

We want to help you further with banners, posters and flyers, if you would like our help. We will also give you the “computerized vector file of our above TJ coin” and you can create your own materials.

We want to help you change the culture and character of your community; neighbors, youth and adults working, sweating and drinking lemonade.

“SHOW & TELL”:

Show and tell gives you and the rest of the audience something to talk about as a conversation starter, leading to communities realizing they have something in common. This can aid in forming a friendship, unity, respect and love.

Invite families to come and share stories of their ancestors, bring memoirs, read journal entries and display pictures!
Invite local historians to share fascinating stories about your town’s history, culture and traditions!
Have genealogy classes at your cemetery!
Have demonstrations of Tombstone monuments being made!
Provide snacks, refreshments or a meal where people can come, eat and listen to miraculous stories of the past, discuss the present and plan the future!
Ask for donations in both time-labor and money
How many cemeteries are there in your county or community- this is a fun topic to explore.

SERVICE PROJECTS:

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller

Work with local organizations such as; the Highschool Football team, FFA, 4 H, the Lions club, Churches, The Boy/ Girl scouts, the juvenile detention centers, etc.. And invite them to a service project at your cemetery.
Invite local businesses to donate snacks, supplies and equipment
Service can include weeding, tombstone leveling and cleaning, mowing, trash pick up and General maintenance.

People like being included. They just need to be invited!