There are countless cemeteries across the country, and far too many of them need help. If you are working with a cemetery or restoration project and need assistance, let me know and I'll post the information. This page is also for general cemetery volunteer opportunities.

Projects that can be submitted include:
- Extreme clean-ups
- General clean-up days
- Restoration
- Volunteer opportunities
- Cemeteries in disrepair/under poor management

Email me at [email protected]

New York
   • Oct. 25 - Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester - Make a Difference Day

Tennessee
   • July 12 - Nashville City Cemetery clean-up day
   • Aug. 9 - Nashville City Cemetery clean-up day
   • Sept. 13 - Nashville City Cemetery clean-up day

Washington
   • July 19 - Old City Cemetery, Vancouver - clean-up day (Project YOUTH)
   • Aug. 16 - Old City Cemetery, Vancouver - clean-up day (Project YOUTH)

(By Sherry Vaden) Memory Gardens is located in Farmington, New Mexico and was purchased by Serenity & Company in 2011. Since that time, many families have noticed the overall condition of the grounds has been deteriorating. Complaints have been responded to with many excuses but no real action.

As a result, Denise Lovato organized a meeting with Ernest Martinez, the Regional Manager of the company. With little time and a lot of determination, Denise was able to get about 50 people out to the cemetery for the meeting, including the local newspaper and television station.

During the meeting with Mr. Martinez, he was asked by Denise's husband, Tony, "Would you bury your folks here?" to which Mr. Martinez replied, "No, sir."  I think that statement alone says a tremendous amount about the cemetery.

Memory Gardens, at one time, was a beautiful place with green grass, trees, flowering bushes. Of course, the condition of the cemetery and their policy of perpetual care is one of the reasons so many families chose this as their loved ones final resting place.  Serenity's website states, "Serenity Cemeteries is a growing family of owner-operated perpetual care facilities. Many of our properties have a deep history of serving families for nearly a century and we are extremely proud to have been entrusted with the memorialization and celebration of the lives of thousands. We are committed to providing exceptional care and service to our families as well as receiving everlasting recognition for the careful stewardship of our families' most cherished memories. Each of our locations is distinctive, with beautifully landscaped grounds and unique characteristics."

In the case of Memory Gardens, nothing could be further from the truth. Many sections of the cemetery have no grass, in the sections where grass remains, it is dead and being overrun with weeds. The prairie dogs have taken over, and the holes and tunnels are causing headstones and graves to sink.

Following the meeting on July 2, Denise started the Facebook group–Memory Gardens Protestor's Group–and I suggested that she also create a petition on Change.org. In less than one week, the group now has over 1,900 members, and the petition is fast approaching 1,000 signatures.

So many people have said that they were frustrated and didn't have any idea what to do. With the creation of the group they have found not only an outlet for that frustration but a way to organize in a productive manner to hold Serenity & Company responsible.

There is a meeting scheduled for July 22 at 11 a.m. with one of the owners. The meeting is taking place at Memory Gardens, and we are expecting a huge turnout of the members from the Facebook group.   Complaints have also been filed with the state.

For more information, contact Sherry at [email protected].

• Memory Gardens - Farmington, New Mexico (see below)
• Lamesa Cemetery - Lamesa, Texas (CBS7.com news)

The family members of those buried in Memory Gardens in Farmington, New Mexico, have organized a protest and a petition regarding the lack of upkeep of the cemetery.

As seen in the top photo, the grass was once green. Prairie dogs have dug numerous holes throughout the grounds (see slideshow below). The photo below shows the state of the Veterans Memorial. The paint is chipped, and rust has stained the monument from the plaques. Photos by Debora Rutledge Dowdy.

More information will be coming soon. In the meantime, you can check out these links:

• Memory Gardens Protestor's Group (Facebook)
• Family members gather at cemetery in confrontation over upkeep (Daily Times)

Read the full article by Sherry Vaden in the left column.