SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — For the first time, Arlington Memorial Gardens is offering families a way to memorialize their loved ones for free.
The Great Urn Return & Scatter Day is part of a somewhat head-turning campaign to give families more options on what to do with their deceased loved ones.
On Saturday, August 6, community members can bring their urns and ashes to Arlington Memorial Gardens and scatter them at one of many cremation campuses.
Program & Development Coordinator Lisa McClain said it’s a way to create a permanent resting place for loved ones.
“Sometimes families are finding multiple generations in attics, we’ve experienced that here and they’re not quite sure what to do with them,” McClain said.
The new campaign features pictures of an urn sitting on a closet shelf that reads, “a closet shelf is no place to spend eternity.”
McClain said Arlington Memorial Gardens has been doing independent studies and believes there are about 15,000 cremated remains in people’s homes in the Greater Cincinnati area.
She said people choose cremation because of price and convenience. But then families are left not knowing what to do with those remains.
“People can come in and scatter their loved ones, have some permanent memorialization placed for their loved one and then they will also be entered into the Arlington archives and their legacy will live on for future generations.”
According to experts, cremation is on the rise in Greater Cincinnati, about 50% of all remains are cremated. McClain said she expects that number to be about 70% by 2030.
The Springfield Township grounds have several cremation campuses and continue to add more to meet the demand.
Families must call Arlington Memorial Gardens and register for the Great Urn Return & Scatter Day which will run Saturday, August 6 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Only human remains are allowed to be scattered.
McClain said around 35 families have already registered for the event.
To learn more about the requirements for the event and to register, click HERE.
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