Welcome to Compeer Chester County!

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

This is a project of the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania (MHASP), supported by the Chester County Department of Mental Health/Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (MH/IDD).

Click here to read an 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 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, “In mental health, recovery means getting on with your life despite daunting challenges.  Having just one person who cares about you and believes in you makes a world of difference.

"Becoming a Compeer volunteer can change both your life and another person's life in a positive, transforming relationship."

Rob has been matched up with a recovering person named John since 1991. He 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.