Margaret Downey Email and Phone Number

Creating and delivering custom secular ceremonies including weddings, baby naming, life-passages, funeral, and more.

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As president of the Freethought Society, I publish a newsletter (The Freethought Society News) and host monthly speakers and/or events. I conduct "The Life of Thomas Paine"​ assemblies for children often honoring his legacy. Every March (Women's History Month), I present a "How Women Obtained the Right to Vote."​ Each presentation is an hour long and includes prizes, music, historical displays and, of course I dress in costume. Since 1996, I have organized and hosted an event called "The Friggatriskaidekaphobia Treatment Center/Anit-Superstition Bash."​ Dressed in costume, we poke fun at superstitions, play anti-superstition games, dance, and host a wide variety of entertainers. The Friday the 13th party happens only every other year as it involves intensive planning. I also organize and host the Skeptic DragonCon Parade Entry every year since 2012. Skeptics have an opportunity to parade their values and vision for the world and the parade draws over 80,000 people. Along with the theme of science, I organize a "Skeptics in History" section. Every Winter, I love to work on getting more and more nontheist displays established in Free Speech Zones. We promote the use of a Tree of Knowledge as a symbol of the nontheist community. The concept promotes education, reading and the hope that knowledge brings to the future of humanity. Ornaments are laminated color copies of books. Along with all these projects mentioned above, the Freethought Society committees include the Anti-Discrimination Support Network, Helping Hands, Diversity Outreach, and much more. I preform secular weddings, baby naming ceremonies and funerals. I am also very proud of creating with my protege a Secular Day of the Dead Guidebook. My hispanic background enabled me to view the tradition in a secular way and the day is geared toward the appreciation of life and the legacy we leave after death. Our legacy is the only after life.