Riverside Hometown Hero
Patel, who lives inward Riverside amongst his wife, Nasim, said his outset halt when he came to the United States of America to cash inward one's chips along practicing dentistry was Chicago.
“It was amazing,” he said. “When I came to Chicago, I saw my outset winter. I didn’t accept whatsoever exposure to snow.”
A friend who lived inward California called Patel too urged him to come upwardly to warmer environs, too 6 months later on he headed W to acquire started on iii decades of serving patients inward the Inland Empire too helping the community through his run too volunteer efforts.
Patel, 57, earned recognition from the metropolis inward belatedly 2014 for his service when he received a Riverside Heroes Award.
Not alone has he served thousands of patients inward the Inland Empire since 1990, Patel besides founded Al-Shifa Dental Clinic, a complimentary hospital inward San Bernardino that provides attention to patients regardless of their income, social background, religion, race or ethnicity.
Patel, a devout Muslim, sees his mission to aid people inward demand equally a duty, he said.
“In my faith, medicine is a noble profession,” he said. “So serving the community is 1 of the noble things to do.”
Patel besides was honored for his service equally by chairman at the Islamic Center of Riverside. Concerned well-nigh the ascent inward anti-Muslim see after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Patel spearheaded several efforts to connect the Muslim community amongst Riverside at large. He launched an Open Mosque Day event, inviting Earth to see too acquire well-nigh Islam.
He helped to constitute the Annual Ramadan Iftar Dinner inward Riverside, an resultant that brings residents from diverse faiths too walks of life together.
Omar Zaki, who met Patel to a greater extent than than fifteen years agone at the Islamic Center, nominated his friend for the Heroes Award.
Zaki describes Patel equally humble, pious too giving.
“What actually drives him is his religion,” Zaki said of Patel. “As a Muslim, it’s his responsibleness to aid others. He does this without bespeak for him. He is the guy inward the dorsum of the room doing ninety percentage of the heavy lifting.”
Zaki recalled how Patel created an annual resultant that recognized students graduating from high schoolhouse too going on to college, giving each youth a gift too providing them amongst a boost from the community.
He lauded Patel’s outreach to the community too added that he feels his friend defies stereotypes roughly attach to Muslims.
“This human being has actually tried to demonstrate to everyone he has come upwardly across what the pregnant of existence a adept Muslim is,” Zaki said. “He does too then amongst his generosity. We equally American Muslims demand to a greater extent than MD Patels.”
Patel, born 1 of 10 children inward Gujarat, India, was the outset inward his identify unit of measurement to acquire a dentist, simply he won’t live the last. His boy Sameer too miss Asma are both inward dental school, too and then is a nephew. His youngest boy Hamza is at UC Riverside too is considering dentistry equally well.
Patel’s nonprofit dental hospital is closest to his heart. Patel said inward 1999, a grouping of Muslims started a nonprofit medical hospital inward the unincorporated expanse of Muscoy. In 2004, Patel opened a dental share there.
Growing upwardly inward a large lower middle-class identify unit of measurement on his father’s didactics salary, Patel said he learned early on the value of a dollar. In his someone practice, he saw that people were inward demand too wanted to aid them, he said.
“I’ve ever wanted to create this,” he said. “I came hither too saw lots of people who come upwardly to my dental share amongst no insurance. I was looking for a adept opportunity. I’ve ever wanted to give dorsum to the community.”
---Kudos to this human being helping out people inward my hometown of Riverside, California.
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