Sarun Chan, 38, is the executive director for the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia. The Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia has been serving the immigrant, refugee, and Cambodian people with unique services and programs since 1979. The organization has been addressing the complicated social, health, and educational needs of three generations for more than 43 years.
Chan was born in a refugee camp in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge War. He came to the United States as a kid and started out living in Syracuse, New York, before moving to Philadelphia, where he grew up in a bigger Khmer community. “Khmer” refers to Cambodia’s people, culture, and language. He’s heavily connected to his history.
Chan has spent the last 20 years working for non-profit organizations, beginning with migrant education. Throughout his career, he has been active with a variety of organizations that provide multi-services such as youth programs, social services, and health navigation, with a particular focus on marginalized ethnic communities.
He pointed out the necessity for communities like his to be versatile, as there are few programs specifically developed for the Khmer population in Philadelphia. Chan also talks about the challenges the community is facing and the future goals that the organization has set up.
He graduated from the High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) and Penn State University, and has spent most of his life committed to community service and activism. Surprisingly, his relationship with the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia goes back to his childhood when he participated in a high school program run by the association. Years later, Chan goes back to the organization for a job interview and gets the position as executive director.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
CAGP has been serving the community since 1979. How have the needs of the Cambodian, refugee, and immigrant communities changed over the years, and how has the organization adjusted to meet those needs?
This whole area, the property was rented out by Cambodians for businesses. Before we arrived this area was the Jewish community. The 70s slowly the area got abandoned and we arrived in the 80s. So, once we arrived in the 80s, as refugees, one of the major factors for us was purchasing homes, learning, and working under the table in factories… cash jobs, in the sense of not legally working. Now, if you walk in this whole area you see Spanish-speaking business owners, Southeast Asians, South Asians, temples, churches, everything.
In terms of new immigrants coming in to settle, it’s most likely language support. Some of them are probably looking for immigration support. They might need public benefits, housing, health insurance, and food stamps.
Can you explain the services offered at your North and South Philadelphia locations?
We offer programs and services throughout Philadelphia. We operate programs out of eight different locations. We have our pre-K program, preschool. The only criterion is that you live in Philadelphia. The child must be three to four years old, and income doesn’t matter. But we target mostly heightened identities, meaning their parents might not be American-born, but their children are.
Next is our out-of-school time programming, which is our after-school program and summer camp. This one is s one of our longest-running programs, 30-plus years now and it’s kindergarten through eighth grade.
Many elderly individuals, regardless of culture, often feel forgotten or isolated. We focus on bringing our elderly community together in a fun and supportive space, especially since many come to us for help with life’s stresses. We want to offer them joy, not more stress. We’re soon launching a new program called CARE in Nature (Cambodian American Refugee Elders), where we’ll take elders on nature walks and healing activities to connect them with nature.
Pre-school located at the CAGP office in Philadelphia, PA
What are the future goals or expansions planned for CAGP to continue serving the evolving needs of the community?
I like to call the FDR food market – the Cambodian Diagon Alley like in Harry Potter….It was never a market. It was just this one Laotian elder selling from a van. And then Cambodian community members saw as well, and they started growing from 2 to 5 to 10 to 20. History of violence, history of police shutting it down, throwing their grills, giving tickets. So that’s our history.
We have a grant from Commerce right now to assess the land where the permanent home will be… We’re helping structure it, serve safety, and business licensing. It’s the most exciting work because nationally we were at this conference… There were directors from other parks, from other cities and towns coming to our panel to talk about the food market and how we’re working with the city and making this a thing.
The Southeast Asian Market in FDR Park has received national attention, as seen by its presentation at the Greater Green Conference, which brought together park directors and municipal officials from across the country to learn about the park’s successful partnership with the city. Looking ahead, the market intends to become a permanent presence within the next three years, aiming to reach the recognition and structure of established markets such as Reading Terminal Market. This aim involves serving as a model for engaging immigrant populations, which may influence how other cities create similar efforts.
How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect CAGP’s work, and what lasting changes has it brought to how you serve the community?
A lot of our programs and services had to pause, and I had to make sure, for me, I didn’t want to lose any staff… I made a promise to our team that we’re not going to let anyone go. Even though you’re from home, work from home. Write a goal for the week…
We had to step up and try to get the information as quickly as possible to the community… It was a lot of translation on what COVID-19 was and how you protect yourself.
When the first rounds of vaccinations came out, all the people of color and Asian communities were upset because the data showed that 60% of whites already gotten vaccinated, and we didn’t even know where they got vaccinated.
Then we hosted clinics at our local Buddhist temples, and that was successful during COVID now our health fair is in October, and we’re still going to provide flu shots and covid shots…
What advice would you give to someone looking to get involved in helping the Cambodian community in Philadelphia?
I think any community, ethnic community, that’s not in mainstream, is to first, instead of assuming what their needs are, go visit and see how vibrant the communities are. The conscious part is critical because we don’t exist just to be sad, we don’t write our grants or write our stories just because we’re poor people. We don’t write it because we need money to help these people. No, we have accomplished and contributed so much to the city.
Exploring the neighborhoods and the businesses… If I wanted to learn more about the community, the first thing I’d do is wonder what they eat. Have conversations about what they, go to the festivals… Celebrate with them and their accomplishments especially, if they’ve been here for years, decades….
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