Compeer Chester County is the Chester County, PA, affiliate of an international volunteer-based, non-profit organization in the field of mental health, headquartered in Rochester, New York. To foster ongoing recovery from mental illness, people are matched in one-to-one friendship relationships with caring, trained community volunteers at least 18 years old.

This is a project of the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania (MHASP), supported by the Chester County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Administration (MH/MR).

Click here to view our video public service announcement.
Click here to read a recent article from "Chester County Life" magazine.

Recovery is a universal human experience. Whether it is death of a loved one, catastrophic illness, job loss, divorce, accident, substance abuse, or some other daunting issue, there are common resources that help us move on and reclaim our lives. Among these resources are the support and encouragement we receive from friends.

For people in recovery from serious mental illness, one-to-one, same-gender friendships with Compeer volunteers are proven to be a very powerful medicine.

The late Ben Giambrone, past president of Compeer, Inc., said, “We know that the Compeer friendship plays a critical role in mental-health recovery. It is clear that Compeer is a premier mentoring program in the field of mental health.”

Compeer Chester County’s founder Rob Chisholm says, “Friendship wins over social isolation. Become a Compeer volunteer and make a new friend, as you change both your life and another person’s, in a positive, transforming relationship.”

Volunteering, especially in a one-to-one relationship with another human being, is one of life’s most profoundly rewarding experiences. Rob Chisholm knows this to be true, because he has been matched up with a recovering person named John since 1991. Rob never tires of sharing this story with people who are interested.

Rob’s life’s work—indeed his passion—has been connecting people in Compeer friendships. He would welcome the opportunity to get to know you personally, talk it over and decide together if this could be the right kind of volunteer opportunity for you.

Get in touch with Compeer. Call 610-436-4445 or email CompeerChesco@mhasp.org.