Volunteering at the Intersection of Art and Medicine

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree David Guo. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

David Guo, a senior in high school and oldest of three kids, has the privilege of not only living with his immediate family and lovable German Shepherd, but with his grandfather. The two often enjoy their time together painting and drawing. It’s this relationship, along with his interest in medicine, that inspired David to volunteer at a local hospice where he was moved to do more to bring joy to their lives.

In 2022, David created Project HeART to provide art therapy classes in hospice and senior living communities that promote emotional well-being. Today, the organization has 54 volunteers, including those in a recently-established chapter in Virginia, and has impacted over 850 participating seniors. Together, the organization has also done multiple art supply drives and created more than 3,000 cards for kids undergoing medical treatment—750 of them to those in hospice.

His work highlights the stress and loneliness often found amongst seniors in care centers and inspires others to get involved. Next year, David will begin his bachelor’s degree in biology, continuing on the path to becoming a doctor. He continues to be a hospice volunteer.

What inspires you to volunteer?

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve enjoyed helping out with food banks and other things. In ninth grade, I began volunteering in a hospice where many senior individuals struggled with stress and loneliness. I was instantly reminded of my grandfather and decided to take the art activities I did with my grandfather and bring them to the individuals living in the hospice facilities and assisted living communities.

Tell us about your volunteer role with Project HeART.

I’m currently leading classes at three different locations in my town of Fountain Hills and in other cities. I create the curriculum and exercises. Recently, I’ve been training other volunteers to do this, so we’re able to expand our impact.
I worked with one volunteer to design and collect surveys from participants to gauge how they felt before and after a class. The resulting data allowed us to create a research project.

In 2021, I led our volunteers in creating art cards with positive messages and drawings. We worked with Phoenix Children’s Hospital to donate them to patients. In 2023 and 2024, I partnered with Hospice of the Valley, an Arizona-based nonprofit hospice organization who funded the project that let us bring cards to hospices, too.

As a lifelong artist, I believe art is a crucial part of children’s development, creativity and fine motor skills. Many Title I schools lack art supplies, which can be very expensive for classes of 30 kids. So, I worked with the City of Scottsdale’s libraries to launch two art supply donation drives in 2023. We also partnered with nonprofits for a winter clothing drive for the unhoused. Over time, Project HeART has evolved to focus on art and medicine combined.

Walk us through an art therapy class.

We introduce each other, and then I introduce some art techniques to help people without an art background complete the exercises and hopefully spark a passion to use them outside of class. The exercises that we use are from licensed art therapists. I’ll combine and adapt them to find what works best, through a trial-and-error process.

Do classes help you de-stress, too?

Definitely. Just interacting with participants is really fulfilling. If I weren’t doing this on the weekends, I would either be playing games or doing something on my phone, and that isn’t as fun. I’m also serving as a teacher, which is really fulfilling, because I’m trying to help people grow. And, whenever I get to participate in the activities by demonstrating, it’s always enjoyable.

What kind of feedback have you gotten?

Originally, these classes were art classes with a small therapy component. But over time, because of surveys, I started increasing the latter. One participant mentioned how the class helped him reduce stress after his wife passed away. That really catapulted me into focusing on the therapy component.

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?

I would like to bring the organization to college. It will be an exciting time but also stressful, and it will give us the ability to use art therapy for younger individuals, too.

I also want to bring the organization to an international level. I think it could really benefit developing nations, as art therapy usually doesn’t cost much. It’s an accessible resource that can also create a holistic view of medicine. That’s something I really want to focus on as an aspiring physician.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

Numbers are important, but what’s been really rewarding is seeing the individual impact. Once, a participant brought his granddaughter to class. He told me that he struggled to connect with her, but after the class, they developed a mutual passion for art that has helped them overcome that.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

Because I work with a lot of seniors, slowing down and being empathetic is something that I really value. I might plan a class to be an hour, but participants might be faster or slower. Understanding that not everyone is able to do the exercise at the pace I’d planned is important.

Tell us about future partnerships, programs or events that you are excited about.

I was recently awarded a grant from The Institute for Citizens and Scholars that I plan to use to develop a youth program that uses art to promote civics. I presented the idea at the National Conference on Citizenship in Washington, D.C. When you listen to an hour-long civics lecture, you’re passively learning. Painting requires focus and forces people to actively receive information to put their ideas on the page. Art is a powerful tool that allows us to create active engagement.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

Be innovative. In my state, there aren’t any other nonprofits doing free art therapy classes focused on senior individuals. Try new ideas, because many times they can be very successful.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like David? Find local volunteer opportunities.