Making friends.
Changing lives.
 Locations  |  About Us  |  Start A Program  |  Support Us  |  Results  |  Contact Us

History

Compeer was founded in 1973 in Rochester, N.Y., and it started with just 12 volunteers. Today, nearly 5,000 volunteers in Compeer locations around the world serve people with mental illnesses.

The National Institute of Mental Health chose Compeer as a model program in 1982 and funded the development of similar programs throughout the nation. Today, Compeer is a model mental health organization with nearly 100 locations in the U.S., Canada and Australia.

Routinely recognized as a national model, the agency has received the Presidential Recognition award by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the inaugural Eleanor Roosevelt Community Service award, the Presidential Volunteer Action award, four Points of Light awards and recognition from the American Psychiatric Association.


Key Milestones

1982 Compeer receives the Presidential Recognition Award from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.
1983 Compeer receives the Certification of Significant Achievement Award from the American Psychiatric Association.
1984 President Reagan gives Compeer a Presidential Volunteer Action Award Citation.
1989

President George Bush presents the Presidential Volunteer Service Award to Compeer.

Newsweek runs a Special Report on Compeer, “The Power of Friendship.”
1992 Compeer establishes its first overseas program in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
1996 Compeer establishes its first affiliate in Australia.
1997 Point of Light Foundation chooses Compeer as a Connect America Partner.
2002 Compeer receives the Eli Lilly Reintegration Award for social integration.
2005 An American Psychological Association task force highlights the Compeer model as a best practice for recovery in its publication, “Training and Best Practices for Recovery and Improved Outcomes for People with Serious Mental Illness.”