While browsing through the news today, I came upon an article that gives credit to my point that just because someone is homeless DOES NOT MEAN that they do not have family that cares. I wanted to share this article because it was touching and gives an example of the point I am trying to prove with the failure to find next-of-kin for the indigent buried at White Tanks Cemetery in Arizona. The policies and procedures, the way that the homeless are considered throw-aways in Arizona is just not right or fair and it needs to be changed and reconsidered.
Many things happen in a person's life that can lead to living a life on the streets away from their family. Once so many years go by without speaking to family, many homeless assume that their family does not want to see them or they are just too embarrassed and ashamed to show their face; this does not mean that the family does not care about them or want to see them.
Please, please read this article and share it with as many people as you can! Had this not happened to this man, God's intervention to reunite him with his family, he may have passed away and been buried the same as those at White Tanks and his family would have never found him. Just as they said, it was assumed that he was dead because he just went "MIA" from a family that loved him. We need to make more effort to reunite the homeless with their family... there needs to be an organized effort by some kind of mental health or non profit to reach out and bridge the gaps for these people.
Here's the article... I hope you enjoy it~ Please feel free to leave me any comments you may have both for or against. I enjoy hearing other perspectives that challenge my views, as it may spark a new perspective for me!
http://www.today.com/id/51240194#.UpOBYI0Vy94?cid=outbrain|HomelessReunitedFam
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Requesting that Funeral Homes to Work With Us For Finding Next of Kin
The following is the letter that I sent out to 12 funeral homes requesting that they work with our organization giving us a list of the potential indigent people arriving in their facility, so that we can assist in finding next of kin (allowing for families to choose the fate of the deceased).
White Tanks Angels Foundation
Miranda Rhuda, Founder
415 Dewey Street
Sandusky, OH 44870
December 7,
2013
ATTN:
Funeral Home Management, Owner and Staff
Hello, my name is Miranda Rhuda. I am writing this letter to you with the
intention of introducing myself and my organization to you. It is my hope that
we may be able to build a working relationship between us to better serve the
indigents that end up buried at White Tanks Cemetery or other county cemeteries
for indigents.
I started this organization in an
effort to help close the gap in the system for finding next of kin for those
who have none listed elsewhere. A
15-year search for my mother ended in 2009 when I found out that she had passed
in 2007 and was buried at White Tanks Cemetery.
I struggled to understand and work through the process of indigent
burials. I spoke with the public
fiduciary and the funeral home that cared for her, but still found no reasonable
explanation as to why I was not notified about her passing. I was told that it is not the funeral home’s
responsibility to find next of kin, but the Public Fiduciary’s job. In my 15 year search for my mother, I had
posted on over 1000 websites that I was searching for her; all of the postings
included her full name, date of birth, middle initial, my name and where we
were from, as well as where I thought she may be (Phoenix). A simple google search would have turned up
next of kin for her, but a search was never done. The pain that I experienced in knowing that
my mother had not only died alone, but was also buried and put to rest alone,
buried by a chain gang was beyond explanation.
I truly struggled to understand the whole thing. I posted on blog sites about my experience
and before I knew it there were other families who poured out their hearts to
me about their same experiences with their loved ones. Once I realized that it was not an isolated
case (with my mother) but that it was happening, quite frequently, for many
individuals, I set out to try and make a change. I have been contacted by more than 30
families who have discovered their loved ones buried at White Tanks, who have
said they would have more than graciously accepted the responsibility of laying
their loved ones to rest.
I have gone over the options for trying
to remedy this situation in my mind many times since 2009. The final conclusion that I felt would be the
best and the fastest was for me to start an organization where I can try to
close the loophole in the failure to search for next of kin. I am offering to provide my own personal
search services (acquired through 10 years of missing persons advocacy) free of
charge to the funeral homes and/or fiduciary to find next of kin for those who
have none listed. Many of these
indigents are homeless, addicts or mentally ill who have become estranged from
their families by their own free will—not by the families doing. If I fail to locate a loved one alive for a
family, the least that I can do is to provide them with the opportunity to give
proper goodbyes to their loved one at their time of death.
In addition to finding next of kin,
our organization also offers free services to families who live in distant
locations and cannot visit nor tend to their loved ones gravesite at White
Tanks Cemetery. We have several members
who volunteer to go out a number of times per week to visit, place flowers and
take pictures to send to the family- in an effort to offer some comfort and
closure.
It is my hope that you will embrace
our organization and choose to use us as an ally in offering families the same
closure and comfort as those who are not indigent. For the quickest and most
ideal search for next of kin, obviously, as much information as possible is
desired. Having a full name, date of
birth and birth location is ideal for easier tracking of family members.
However, we have many memberships for various people search sites including
world membership to ancestry.com which provides extensive information in
collective databases. I really hope to get as much cooperation from as many
funeral homes as possible- in an effort at providing the closure needed to
families in search of their loved ones.
Without communicating with the funeral
homes, we have currently been researching the newspaper obituaries for listings
that request more information on the deceased.
The problem with this method is that we are only working to inform
families of their loved ones passing and burial. We would like to get ahead of the burials, by
receiving immediate notices from the funeral homes and work to find next of kin
who can choose the method of burial for their loved ones, saving money for the
tax payers of Maricopa County and healing families all over the country.
If you are contacted by a family, who
lives out of state, requesting information on their loved ones plot at White
Tanks, please feel free to refer them to our organization so that we may offer
our free visitation services to them. We
also assist families in navigating through the confirmation of identity, death
certificate and paperwork process for the deceased.
If you would like to speak more about
this- the fastest and easiest reply method would be to e-mail me at WhiteTanksAngels@gmail.com
Please feel free to also write me via US Postal Mail or call me at
419-602-7147. If I do not answer, please
leave a message and I will get back to you ASAP.
God Bless you for your services,
Miranda N. Rhuda, Founder
White Tanks Angels Foundation
Requesting Letters from the Families of the Deceased Buried at White Tanks Cemetery - Letter Campaign #1
White
Tanks Families, I am getting ready to launch a letter writing campaign to raise
awareness for the organization and all of the issues that you have each shared
with me.
However,
I need some help doing this folks! I am asking each of you to write a letter
about your families experience and situation. The letter should include how you
feel you have been ripped off, violated, etc... due to the current policies and
procedures of indigent burial. Dictate
what you would like to see happen to fix the situation or what you feel would have
been a satisfactory ending for you.
NOTE** Unless otherwise specified by you, THE LETTERS WILL BE LEFT
ANONYMOUS without names. I will be taking the names out of all the letters as I
know that familial problems are relations are sensitive in nature.
This
is the most important letter campaign that our organization will do. We need to
be heard! They need to be reminded that those bodies they are just putting in
the ground in little wooden boxes- are REAL people with REAL family! We need to
write, collect and send in as many letters as possible, flooding the mailboxes
of the people who can assist in changing some of the issues at hand with White
Tanks Cemetery.
The
letter does not have to be extremely extensive (unless you feel like it). Longer
letters with even more detailed feelings/thoughts are even better and
will be graciously accepted. Length of the letter is not important! Your letter
just needs to be heartfelt about your emotions (and the struggle that your
family has endured) of having your loved one labeled “unclaimed” and buried at
an indigent desert dump ground with no personal affects.
I
want the letter recipients to feel the letters as they read them (and be able
to picture themselves or their family in this situation). The letter does not
need to be "proper" or grammatically correct, that’s not important!
(Plus, I was an editing assist for a newspaper and do a lot of proofreading and
editing anyhow.) I just want you to sit down and put your feelings on to paper to
be read and then send them to me. The
best way to do this would be via E-mail to whitetanksangels@gmail.com but if you prefer to handwrite a letter and
send it for me to copy, forward and distribute, you can also do that. Letters should be sent to: White Tanks Angels
Foundation, c/o Miranda Rhuda, 415 Dewey
Street, Sandusky, OH 44870.
I
know that many of you, like me, feel ripped off because you were denied the
ability to bury your loved one, have proper personal services to celebrate
their life and say your final goodbyes. Please tell them that. Many of us have
had a terrible time with tracking down and obtaining information about our
loved one's death and burial process. That needs to be described to them! Please,
whatever you and/or your family have experienced with all this-- jot it all
down and send it to me. Some of you have shared your feelings with me in emails
and messages back and forth; I will go ahead and copy your words into letters to
use, sparing you some time that I know can be quite limited!
Some
of the questions for you to answer in your letter are:
1.
What
are you the most appalled about with the whole death/burial situation with your
loved one?
2.
What
is your perspective/view on having your loved one at White Tanks? Do you feel
that they belong there?
3.
Do
you feel that authorities should have been able to find you or other next of
kin for your loved one? How easy do you think they could have obtained that
information?
4.
What
do you think about the practice of placing the blurb in the paper to request
more information about the deceased?
5.
How
did you learn that your loved one was buried at White Tanks?
6.
Have
the officials/authorities/funeral home been helpful in assisting you with
whatever you needed in relation to the deceased?
I
will also be writing a letter about my experiences in great detail, as I am the
founder of the foundation and it is the reason for the foundation’s existence.
When I have completed the letter, I will post it for all of you to see. Maybe it
will give you an idea of what I am trying to establish with this letter
campaign.
The
way that I feel and my reasoning for doing this is that THEY CAN NOT SOLVE A
PROBLEM THEY DON’T KNOW EXISTS! So, we
have to stand up and tell them about all of the problems we have seen and
experienced. If we want to spare other families from experiencing the same
pain, lack of closure and frustration that we have-- then we need to be the
VOICE that is heard and NOT forgotten.
You
HAVE TO BE A VOICE for your deceased loved one, as they cannot speak for themselves!
Please try to put aside any and all angst or bitterness you may feel toward
your deceased loved one… because the simple fact and point that we need to get
across is:
1.
Everyone is someone's family,
whether chosen to be estranged or not!
2.
Everyone deserves to have their
life celebrated with a memorial service by loved ones who know them
3.
Everyone deserves to have the
option of a personalized, honorable burial surrounded by loved ones and
friends.
4.
Families deserve the opportunity
to say goodbye and celebrate the deceased life.
5.
Families deserve the option of
paying for and carrying out personalized funeral and memorial services for
their loved one.
6.
Families should not have to pay
an extra $2,500+ (that they can’t afford) to RE-DO their loved one’s burial process. Also, people should not have to dig up their loved ones and disturb their final resting peace to re-establish the desire results for the family.
7.
Families should be given the
opportunity to choose to have their loved one shipped home to them (especially
if living in another state) so that they are given the opportunity to visit
their deceased family member (just as those buried who are not considered
indigent).
8.
For each family of the buried, they
should be allowed to place a personalized stone/marker/ shrine to give
honorable representation of who the deceased really was in their life. A father,
mother, son, daughter, etc… should be recognized in death and honored, just as
in life.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Letter to White Tanks Cemetery
White Tanks
Angels Foundation
Miranda
Rhuda, Founder & Primary Contact
415 Dewey
St., Sandusky, OH 44870
whitetanksangels@gmail.com
December 10, 2013
December 10, 2013
To
the Caretakers and Office Staff of White Tanks Cemetery:
Hello, my name is Miranda Rhuda. I am writing this letter to you with the
intention of introducing myself and my organization to you. It is my hope that
we may be able to build a working relationship between us to better serve the
indigents that end up buried at White Tanks Cemetery, as well as the families
of those buried there.
After a long journey of searching for
my mother, Joyce Patterson, for almost 15 years, I found her- buried at White
Tanks Cemetery. My journey has shown me a lot and taught me a few things about
the policies and procedures involving White Tanks Cemetery. After being
completely appalled by the fact that there are no private markers allowed at
the cemetery and the lack of a search to find next of kin for my mother, I
became vocal about my journey by blogging my thoughts. When I published my blog about White Tanks,
other families came forward and confirmed that they had also gone through
similar issues regarding their loved ones also buried at White Tanks
Cemetery. After I was contacted by the
20th family about their issues regarding the indigent burial process
and cemetery of their loved one, I came to the conclusion that something needs
to be done to remedy some of these issues and I decided to start my own
foundation to help other families cope with the process of finding their loved
one at White Tanks Cemetery.
My foundation, the White Tanks Angels
Foundation, offers various free services to assist the families of the indigent
buried at White Tanks.
1. Many of the families (for those buried
there) live out of the state of Arizona.
For those families, we offer to have volunteers visit their loved ones
grave sites regularly to tend to them and send pictures back home to the
family.
2. We help families gather information surrounding
the death of their loved one by contacting the funeral home and public
fiduciary to verify the identity of the deceased.
3. For those who wish to have their loved
ones remains moved from White Tanks, cremated or shipped to another state, we
help them navigate through the legal processes of permits, etc…
4. We are currently trying to work with
the funeral homes and public fiduciary to get the names of the indigent before
they are buried at White Tanks so that we can do a proper search for next of
kin in hopes of finding family and giving them the option of other arrangements
for their deceased loved one.
5. Many of the individuals buried at
White Tanks Cemetery have been estranged by their families on their own free
will. There are families out there that,
like I was, are currently searching for and trying to locate their loved one,
not knowing that they have already passed. It is our foundation’s goal to go
through and try to find and notify as many families as possible to offer them
the much needed closure they are seeking.
Many of the family members who have
spoken to our foundation have shared with us how upsetting it is that they were
unable to properly pay their respects and say their goodbyes to their loved
ones. In addition to that, they are appalled that there are no private markers
or shrines allowed to honor the life of their loved one. We aim to try and see if we can get that
changed, if need be.
I am requesting that you please send
us a copy of the policies and procedures for White Tanks Cemetery. If you could
give us that information it will really help our foundation to clearly and
realistically set goals for the foundation services and issues needing
attention.
Also, could you please let me know:
1. Who is in charge of overseeing the
landscaping, maintenance and appearance of the cemetery
2. Who is in charge of implementing and
overseeing the policies and procedures
3. What are the names of the Cemetery
Caretaker and/or Office Manager
The quickest and most efficient method
of replying would be to send the information via email to the above listed
email address. However, you may also send it via mail to the above listed
address.
Thank you for your anticipated
cooperation!
Respectfully signed,
Miranda N. Rhuda
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Maricopa County, Phoenix, Arizona Funeral Home and Mortuary Resource Guide
Funeral Homes and Mortuary Services
1. Preston Funeral Home
3800 S Central
Ave
Phoenix,
Arizona 85040-1016
Phone (602) 304-0083
They have a beautiful religious
website with Bible Verses, Jesus, Doves and Angels.
2. Serenity Mortuary Service
2514 S. 6th Ave.
Phoenix
AZ 85003
602-253-6970
3. Samaritan Funeral Home
1505 E.
McDowell Rd.
Phoenix
AZ 85006
602-716-5600
http://www.samaritanfuneralhome.com/
4. Harper Funeral Home
1246 E.
Jefferson St.
Phoenix AZ
85034
(602) 243-3961
They are one
of the more common funeral homes that do the indigent burials and listings in
the newspaper for information on next of kin. Their website reads: “We are a full service funeral home offering cremation
and burial services and shipping world wide, We are Family Owned and Operated
and offer a good service at an affordable cost much lower than most”
** This is the funeral home that
assisted me with my Mother’s disinterment and cremation shipping. They have
been very pleasant and more than helpful. I would recommend them to others! **
5. Legacy Funeral Home
10702 W.
Peoria Ave.
Sun City, AZ
85351
(480) 963-6200
6. Abel Funeral Services
1627 N. 51st Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85035
602-442-7747
This is one of the more common
funeral homes that list for indigents in the newspapers
7. La
Paz Funeral Home
9 am to 5 pm
Monday-Friday
935 E Indian
School Rd
Phoenix, AZ
85014
602-266-5558
1551 W Van
Buren St
Phoenix, AZ
85007
602-743-1000
8. Angels
Cremation and Burial
422 W. McLellan Road (at Country Club Dr.)
Mesa, AZ 85210
(480) 962-6435
E-mail: angelscremation@yahoo.com
Their website reads: Sandy began her career in the mortuary business
after losing two children, her parents, and many other close family and
friends. Because of her experiences, she has empathy with those who are
mourning. She is committed, sincere, compassionate, and understanding in her
desire to serve the family, as well as taking care of your loved one. Her philosophy
is everyone deserves to be taken care of with dignity, love, and kindness at
passing.
Where can I find help to deal with my Grief?
Contacting these groups is the sole responsibility of the individual and use is at the discretion of the patron. The list of these services are provided as a service to you. Other organizations may also be available in your area (or State).
East Valley Bereavement 480 785-1515
Compassionate Friends 480 982-1885
Grief Support Group Adults 50+ 480 962-5612
Parents of Murdered Children 602 506-2488
Survivors of Suicide 480 784-1514
Widows Aide Society 480 225-1980
New Song 480 797-9970
Banner Hospitals
Hospice Homes
Contacting these groups is the sole responsibility of the individual and use is at the discretion of the patron. The list of these services are provided as a service to you. Other organizations may also be available in your area (or State).
East Valley Bereavement 480 785-1515
Compassionate Friends 480 982-1885
Grief Support Group Adults 50+ 480 962-5612
Parents of Murdered Children 602 506-2488
Survivors of Suicide 480 784-1514
Widows Aide Society 480 225-1980
New Song 480 797-9970
Banner Hospitals
Hospice Homes
Government Offices Resource Guide
Government
Offices and Organizations
1.
Social Security Administration
2. Maricopa
County Public Fiduciary
Security Center Building
222 North Central Avenue Suite 4100
Phoenix, AZ 85004
222 North Central Avenue Suite 4100
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Hours:
8am to 5pm M-F except holidays
Phone: 602.506.5801 | Fax: 602.506.2495
After Hours: 602.506.5801 (Emergencies only)
Phone: 602.506.5801 | Fax: 602.506.2495
After Hours: 602.506.5801 (Emergencies only)
Specific
Page for INDIGENT BURIAL PROGRAM
The website
says the following about the indigent burial program: To initiate a
referral, call (602) 506-5801. Be prepared to provide the following
information: Name of Decedent, Address, Date of Birth, Date of Death, Social
Security Number, and Marital Status; next of kin Full Name, Address, and Phone
Number. Walk-ins cannot be accommodated. A Burial
Coordinator will be assigned and will contact the family as soon as possible.
An application and determination interview is then scheduled. At the interview
the family is required to provide proof of income, other additional financial
resources, rent/mortgage receipt, and other documentation as directed by the
caseworker. In most instances, a decision is rendered at the time of interview
with the next of kin.
3.
The Arizona Fiduciaries
Association
PO BOX 4130
Scottsdale,
AZ 85261
602-840-2900 ext 307
Fax 480-922-5283
The Arizona Fiduciaries
Association, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide
structure, guidance, training and continuing education for public and private
fiduciaries in Arizona.
Our Vision: The AFA will be a nationally recognized leader for developing the best standards of practice for professional fiduciaries. Mission: To provide education and advocacy to its members to enhance and promote the fiduciary profession.
Our Vision: The AFA will be a nationally recognized leader for developing the best standards of practice for professional fiduciaries. Mission: To provide education and advocacy to its members to enhance and promote the fiduciary profession.
Forensic
Science Center
701
W. Jefferson St.
Phoenix
AZ 85007
602-506-3322 Fax:
602-506-1546
The Med Examiner has an Unidentified Persons
Bureau. This is a site that is specifically used for trying to get unidentified
persons identified and the missing persons files matched to the identified.
This is an amazing effort for Missing Adults. Proud to spread the news
about this program!
5.
Maricopa County Vital Statistics Office of Registration
Information about How to Obtain A Certified Copy of a Death Certificate
Direct Link to the Mail-In Application for a Maricopa County Death Certificate
Application
for Requesting Changes on a Death Certificate
Brochure Explaning Eligibility of a Death Certificate Request
Applying
For Death or Birth Certificates Online through VitalChek
VitalChek is a third party company authorized by Maricopa
County and the State of Arizona to offer this online Application option. To
obtain information and instructions for ordering
Arizona vital records, please review
Apply
in person at any of the following offices:
Central
Phoenix Office
3221 N
16th St Ste 100
Phoenix
AZ 85016
West
Valley Office
3003 W
Thomas Rd Ste 200B
Phoenix
AZ 85017
East
Valley Office
4419 E
Main St Ste 105
Mesa
AZ 85205
8:00am - 4:30pm
Ph:
602-506-6805
Fees:
$20.00
- Certified Copy
$30.00
- Corrections
Forms
of Payment:
• Visa
or MasterCard
•
Money Order
•
Cashier’s Check
• Cash
(in person ONLY)
How to
Apply:
• In
person
• By
Mail
•
Online (fees apply)
Changing
Identity Information on File with Maricopa County Vital Statistics
When you are requesting to change
the identity of a loved one from an indigent status to an individual with a
confirmed & validated identity, there is a form that the funeral homes will
have you fill out called a VSIM Worksheet. This form asks all of the questions
needed to provide as much information as possible about your loved ones
identity to file with the state. This
worksheet is often required by the funeral home when doing a death certificate
correction letter and amendment application.
Each funeral home has its own version or copy of the VSIM worksheet, but
you can view an example of this form here: http://www.angelscremationandburial.com/pdf/VSIM%20Worksheet2.pdf
6. Self
Service Center Maricopa County
The superior court of Arizona offers many forms and legal
documents that are able to be downloaded, printed and filled out without an
attorney.
7.
Arizona State Board of Funeral Directors and
Embalmers
Rodolfo Thomas, Executive Director
Arizona State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers
1400 West Washington, Suite #230
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: (602) 542-3095
Fax: (602) 542-3093
E-Mail: rudy.thomas@azfuneralboard.us
Arizona State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers
1400 West Washington, Suite #230
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: (602) 542-3095
Fax: (602) 542-3093
E-Mail: rudy.thomas@azfuneralboard.us
Patricia Keith, Programs and Project
Specialist
Arizona State Board of
Funeral Directors and Embalmers
1400 West Washington,
Suite #230
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone:(602) 542-3095
Fax:(602) 542-3093
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