Champion Mental Wellbeing. Connect People. Building Relationships... One Friend at a Time.

Volunteer

The Compeer volunteer can be life-changing. We match volunteers with clients of all ages and backgrounds.

Education

Compeer has trained over 5,000 people in WNY in Mental Health First Aid since 2014.

Donate

Your contribution allows Compeer to match more clients and provide needed training for our community.

Volunteer

The Compeer volunteer can be life-changing. We match volunteers with clients of all ages and backgrounds.

Education

Compeer has trained over 5,000 people in WNY in Mental Health First Aid since 2014.

Donate

Your contribution allows Compeer to match more clients and provide needed training for our community.

Access Support

Find support resources in your area.

The Healing Power of Friendship

We believe that the healing power of friendship – of just one caring friend – is life changing for an individual striving for mental wellness. With your help, Compeer provides good mental health through meaningful relationships.

Our Volunteers Make a Difference

A walk in the park. Playing a video game. Just checking in to say hello. When you volunteer with Compeer, you can be doing any number of things on a given encounter with your Compeer friend. You do what comes most natural for you. The most important quality of a Compeer volunteer? Being a friend. If you believe that you can be a friend to someone, then you have what it takes to be a volunteer. And we would love to have you join today. 

Volunteers in 2022
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Estimated value of volunteer contributions throughout 2022
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Hours of service reported for mentors in 2022
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People trained in Mental Health First Aid since 2014
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A proven program...

  • Established in 1973 and grown to an international evidence-based program.
  • American Psychological Association best practice recognition.
  • Included in the SAMHSA National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP).
  • National Quality Mentoring System (NQMS) Approved Member.
  • Presidential Recognition Award by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  • George H. Bush Five Points of Light Award Recipient.
  • Featured stories in the CBS Morning News, NBC Nightly News, Good Morning America, Psychology Today, Newsweek, Family Circle, and numerous other media outlets.

…with global impact

Headquartered in Buffalo, Compeer was founded in 1973 in Rochester, N.Y., with just 12 volunteers at its start-up. Today, on average, 4,000 volunteers in Compeer locations around the world serve people with mental illness or emotional challenges.

 

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 50 locations in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

We promote positive mental health

One in five people in the United States live with a mental health condition. At Compeer we help facilitate positive mental health through meaningful friendships. This can take many forms – from one-to-one mentoring to group activities. Or from Mental Health First Aid to school-based learning. Our community is a better place when positive mental health is a priority.

51%

Of youth (6-17) live with a mental health condition 1

200 million

Lost workdays each year due to depression 2

$193 billion

The cost of untreated mental illness in the US each year, mostly due to lost productivity 1

Sources:

1 National Alliance on Mental Illness

2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

A Gallery of Friendship

Compeer is an ally with the BIPOC community. While we know we are not experts, we are learning. We ask that you join us as we do our part to dismantle racism and the systems that support it.