GLENDALE, Ariz. — The power of volunteering is simply beautiful.
Oftentimes, when people set out to help others, they end up feeling just as blessed.
And that’s just the case for Dr. Mazen Beydoun, who discovered the career path he wanted to work toward through volunteer work.
“Volunteering in itself is huge,” he said. “To give back to your community… people will always appreciate it.”
Dr. Beydoun is now a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and a hospitalist at Banner Baywood Medical Center and Banner Heart Hospital.
But his success didn’t happen overnight. He went to ASU and then med school at Midwestern University in Glendale, where he got his osteopathic medicine degree. From there he went to Banner University Medical Center for his Internal medicine residency.
Long before landing at the Banner Baywood campus, he spent countless hours volunteering at homeless shelters and food banks starting at the age of 17.
“We would help package food and kind of store them and help ship them out to shelters,” said Dr. Beydoun.
Some of his most memorable times volunteering were at hospice facilities.
“…and kind of just spend time with patients there in their last moments that they have,” he said. “…and just kind of just be with them and hear their stories, things like that.”
He even volunteered at Banner Baywood, where he was eventually hired as a physician more than a year ago.
“It’s been wonderful to watch him grow and look at him now,” said Jenna Davis, the associate director of volunteer resources.
Davis says Dr. Beydoun’s desire to volunteer at a young age is something she has always admired. His character is something she looks for when she’s recruiting volunteers.
“He is so down to earth, laid back,” she said. “You can sit and talk to him about anything, laugh about things with him, and he gets it… that’s why he’s a great role model for our student volunteers.”
“You get what you give,” Dr. Beydoun said. “Caring for people from the very start, even though you can’t really do anything medically, you know, you can still help them and support them in those ways.”
Growing up, he would always tell his primary care physician he wanted to be like him when he grew up… and he meant it. Look at him now.
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“You can make a lot of people’s day just coming in with a smile and saying hi,” he said.
Of course, some days on the job can be stressful, but he’ll tell you he loves all aspects of his job.
Most of all? Still, helping people, and the joy of getting to send patients home once they’re doing well.
This year 325 volunteers have served on the Banner Baywood campus in Mesa.
Volunteers can get started in one of 20 volunteer roles starting as young as 14 years old with a parent. Once they turn 16, they can serve as a volunteer solo.
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