The staff educator of the Mental Health Association provides informational sessions to the general public, community organizations, and businesses. Newspaper articles, radio and television interviews are arranged to bring accurate information about mental illness, its effects, and its treatment to the community at large. Also, a newsletter is distributed quarterly. It contains community information as well as current events in our agency. This program brings volunteers together with children and adults coping with the loneliness and isolation brought on by mental illness.
Volunteers spend four hours a month with their companion sharing in activities they both enjoy.
Through this time together the volunteers can become positive role models, facilitate social and communication skills, and encourage independence for their Compeer friend. Children and adults receiving mental health treatment often need the support that a caring friend can provide. Adult volunteers are trained and then matched as friends and mentors with children and adults referred by mental health professionals. We ask that volunteers commit to one year of service, and approximately fours hours a month. All rights reserved.