OP-ED

Humans of Cranston

Posted 12/27/22

Humans of Cranston is a recurring column showcasing the stories of Cranston residents’ community involvement, diversity, and unique life perspectives.

Sarin Rath volunteers at …

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OP-ED

Humans of Cranston

Posted

Humans of Cranston is a recurring column showcasing the stories of Cranston residents’ community involvement, diversity, and unique life perspectives.

Sarin Rath volunteers at Cranston’s Dhamagosnaram Buddhist Temple, is involved with the Cambodian Society of Rhode Island and loves to garden. Note: Sarin communicated his story in Khmer, which was interpreted to English during the interview.

Sarin moved to the United States in 1982 after growing up in Cambodia. Twenty-one years ago, his family relocated from Providence to Cranston to be closer to his community members in the Cambodian Society and so that his grandchildren would get to study in the Cranston Public School District. Since moving here, he’s cultivated a diverse community with his neighbors and likes to share the food from his garden with them. Sarin is passionate about gardening; growing up in Cambodia, he and his family were farmers, but since moving to the states, he’s been tending to his backyard garden as a hobby and, rather than selling his produce for profit, he prefers to give it freely to his friends, family and community.

Sarin is very involved with Cranston’s Cambodian community and volunteers regularly at his Buddhist temple, where he’s been a member since 2004. He says that every weekend, he meets with the temple’s board to discuss community matters and any needs that his community may have so that he and the board can coordinate resources to help families, often those who have lost family members. Grieving families often seek support for end-of-life arrangements through the temple when a loved one has died, including organizing a ceremony for them at the temple, coordinating with funeral homes, or both. He likes to volunteer at the temple both to socialize and to offer community care for those in need.

In the future, Sarin hopes that the temple will grow and that more youth will become involved, as most of the people currently attending and volunteering there are older. He wants to make the temple better so that the children in his community have the opportunity to connect more with their Cambodian culture, traditions and Buddhist religion, because a lot of the younger people are less connected to their Cambodian heritage than their elders. Through improving the temple, he looks forward to seeing his culture preserved and appreciated by younger generations and wants to continue doing what he can to help more people.

 

This project has been made possible by a Rhode Island Foundation Community Grant, and the efforts of the OneCranston Health Equity Zone of Comprehensive Community Action, Inc. in partnership with the Cranston Herald and Timothy McFate. Want to nominate a Cranston resident to be featured? Email JB at jfulbright@comcap.org.

humans, Cranston

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