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What Your Community Can Do

Partnering With Community

Every family will experience loss at some point. By preparing in advance as a
community, a difficult time is made a little easier - emotionally and economi-
cally. As a new cemetery, Heritage Gardens is able to offer communities their
own dedicated area within the cemetery, and will work with the community
to personalize the section to reflect its history and values.

Within our grounds, you will find the as well as prayer and religious traditions.
Greater Vancouver Orthodox Cemetery It is also common for people to camp
and Sampaguita Garden, two of our overnight in the cemetery to pay respects
community partners. to their relatives, showing that Filipinos
are remarkably at home amongst their
Sampaguita Garden ancestors. The Sampaguita is the national
The Sampaguita Garden is a community flower of the Philippines because it
section dedicated to Filipino culture and symbolizes purity, simplicity, humility,
tradition. In the Philippines, All Saints Day and strength. The Sampaguita Garden
is an important and joyful holiday. Out of at Heritage Gardens hopes to strengthen
great respect for their deceased, families the bond of the Filipino community in
will visit the graves of their ancestors the Lower Mainland with the culture
before the holiday to clean up the area and traditions from back home in the
and perform maintenance. Then, on Philippines.
November 1st of each year, people visit
their family plots in cemeteries across the
country in celebration of the lives of the
deceased, where they will decorate the
graves with flowers and candles. It is an
opportunity for family reunion, where
groups of an extended family gather
together for a day filled with music and
food

Page 22 - Preparing For Tomorrow - Heritage Gardens