Wake

New Orleans based nonprofit dedicated to equitable and sustainable deathcare.

01/09/2026

Join the Equitable Disposition Alliance for the launch of our fledgling wiki database, which maps public disposition programs across the U.S., as well as financial assistance options for families who are trying to achieve disposition for a loved one.

Meet the volunteers who sourced information about the disparate systems from different counties, the challenges they encountered, and the work that remains to be done in the months ahead.

Get rare insight into the invisible crisis of indigent death in the U.S. and the ways that systems collude to keep this issue shrouded in darkness. Learn how you can get involved!

To register: https://www.wake.education/event-details/edas-indigent-disposition-database-launch/form

01/08/2026

Wake will be tabling again at this year's New Orleans Community Organizing Fair. Last year's event was vibrant and electric, with so many engaged community members, so many huge-hearted community organizations. We'll be there, with Advance Directive forms to hand out (and even notarize!), from 2:30 to 5:30pm.

The fair organizers are still seeking volunteers to assist with the event's smooth operation. If you're interested, fill out the application linked below.

NOTE: This event is masked. Masks will be available at the venue for those who don't have their own.

01/07/2026

One year after the New Year’s Day 2025 attack on Bourbon Street, families, survivors, and faith leaders came together in remembrance at Immaculate Conception Church. As names were spoken and candles lifted, the community reclaimed the lives behind the loss, honoring the victims as beloved family members, friends, and neighbors. A second line led mourners back to Bourbon Street, where a temporary tribute and memorial lights will remain through Jan. 18, offering space for reflection, healing, and hope.

Wake was honored to have worked closely with the families of the two New Orleans residents killed in the attack, supporting funeral arrangements and memorialization, and helping families navigate the overwhelming period following a high-profile tragedy when resources can be difficult to track and coordinate.

For many, the funerals served as a reclaiming of the stories of these individuals—from victims of senseless violence to beloved family members, friends, and pillars of the community. With that reclaiming comes a measure of closure and the beginning of healing from the pain of this terrible event. We wish all those impacted by this trauma continued peace and healing.

01/06/2026

It is with so much gratitude that Wake thanks everyone who for donated to Wake's campaign to raise awareness about the crisis of indigent death in our region, and across the U.S. Each of you came through, sometimes more than once over the course of these 13 weeks, to uplift the needs of so many who are at risk of losing their deceased loved one forever to a government indigent death program. Ultimately, we raised $10,452 to sustain this work into the new year. Together, we have shown that we can shed light on this invisible crisis and begin to change how end-of-life care is delivered in this country.

Wake has been working on a new initiative to document the systems that care for our dead when we can't afford expensive funeral services, and the success of this campaign ensures that we will be able to complete our map and reveal how the many disparate systems in use across Louisiana can work together to solve this problem. Your support is powering this work, and we are so excited to share the highlights with you in the weeks ahead.

Thank you for recognizing the value of this work, which is both important and yet poorly understood. We are the change that is needed to make deathcare accessible for all.

Happy 2026 to each and every one of you!

01/06/2026

A feast for the eyes; a celebration of Mexican art. Come see how we interpret these artworks parade.
Saturday, January 17th. 2026.

Un festín para los ojos; una celebración del arte mexicano. Ven a ver cómo interpretamos estas obras de arte en el desfile .
Sábado, 17 de enero de 2026.

12/31/2025

We have raised $8,138.40 of our $15,000 campaign to address indigent death in Louisiana through a new program to help families in our community who cannot afford private funeral expenses. With less than 24 hours, left to donate, we are hoping you can help push us even closer to our goal!

To donate: https://www.wake.education/donate

12/30/2025

“Indigent Death” is the technical term for what happens to a body when a family cannot pay for private funeral services. It’s an invisible issue that affects over 150,000 individuals each year in the U.S. We’ve begun to learn about the process in different parishes, through our work with families who have found themselves in the bureaucratic purgatory that is the indigent death program. As we have researched how this process is handled in other regions we have found that no data is available. No systematic study has been done, on the local, state, or even national level.

As we have worked to bring awareness to this issue, we’ve begun to connect to similar work being done in other states, with partner organizations. Together, we are beginning to benchmark data that can be used to create policies that protect families from this harrowing reality when a loved one dies.

We can not do this alone. We need your help to raise $15,000 to map the process of what happens to unclaimed individuals across our region so that we can make this information public.

To donate: https://www.wake.education/donate

12/29/2025

Deathcare remains significantly underfunded and is often excluded from broader public health and social service funding conversations. As a small, community-based organization, Wake relies on support to elevate community voices, inform policy discussions, and advance equitable end-of-life care.

Support for this initiative will strengthen local advocacy, empower community stakeholders with data and shared language, and contribute to meaningful, long-term improvements in how our community cares for its most vulnerable members at the end of life.

You can make a difference by donating to Wake’s mission today:
https://www.wake.education/donate

12/27/2025

In Orleans Parish alone, about 200 families each year are forced to abandon their loved one to the state’s indigent death program. This means cremation without ashes returned, and burial in a potter’s field, which the family can never visit. It’s heartbreaking, invisible, and affects approximately 150,000 families across the U.S. every year.

You can make a difference by donating to Wake’s mission today:
https://www.wake.education/donate

12/26/2025

Everyone deserves dignity in death. At Wake, we’re raising $15,000 this fall to confront a hidden but urgent crisis affecting our community. With your help, we will:

-Research and map the current landscape of indigent deathcare in our region
-Share our findings with the public and policymakers
-Advocate for accessible, community-centered deathcare options

Your gift of $5 or more truly makes a difference. As a small organization, Wake relies on community support to continue this, especially since deathcare is often overlooked by major funders.

You can make a difference by donating to Wake’s mission today:
https://www.wake.education/donate

12/24/2025

Deathcare is healthcare. When a heart stops or a final breath is taken, there is still a body that needs care. Until a person is laid to rest, their family must find a way to provide that care. Yet when death occurs, the healthcare system falls away, and families are required by law to purchase funeral services from a private provider — a cost that quickly runs into the thousands. Many families simply cannot afford this.

Make a donation today to support affordable deathcare for all!

To donate: https://www.wake.education/donate

12/17/2025

Thank you to everyone for helping to ensure that everyone has access to meaningful, affordable, and environmentally sustainable deathcare. There is still time to make an impact for our end-of-year fundraising goal!

To donate: https://www.wake.education/donate

Address

New Orleans, LA

Website

http://wake.education/, https://linktr.ee/wakedeathcare

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