In 1994 I saw an article about a man that built a plain pine casket for his dad. In the article a funeral director was quoted as saying, “A lot of people say they want to be buried in a plain pine box, but when it comes time they end up with the standard commercial casket.” So I went online to read more about why people don't get what they want and how to I can and bam! I found FCA [then called FAMSA] and joined. At first I only read the literature they sent, and didn’t move on to implementing what I'd learned into a funeral plan of my own, however the seed was planted. Over the next several years I saw article after article in my local newspaper about families who needed to raise funds because they couldn’t afford the funeral they bought. Why were people buying funerals they couldn’t afford when there are other options, I asked myself? The answer was that they didn’t know any other way. There was no FCA affiliate in my state. So I decided in 2000 to start an affiliate. Then executive Director, Lisa Carlson, came out from Vermont and helped us organize. I love her. Now we are led by another Executive Director, just as fun, intelligent, talented and caring as Lisa. His name is Joshua Slocum. I can't imagine volunteering for a better organization or cause than FCA. It is as transparant, meaningful and frugal as the funerals it promotes.