SPRING 2010
COMPEEREVIEW
A PUBLICATION OF COMPEER INC.
Mental health recovery through the healing power of friendship
www.compeer.org
Eighth NSW Program Plans Opening
Eleven Compeer locations in
the United States and Australia
celebrate significant anniversaries this year! Congratulations,
Compeer affiliates!
Campbelltown, N.S.W.
Iowa City, Iowa
Wilmington, Ohio
The start-up Newcastle Compeer
Program is soon to become the
eighth Compeer Program sponsored
by the St Vincent de Paul Society
(S.V.D.P.) in the state of New South
Wales (N.S.W.), Australia. Newcastle
is the largest regional city in N.S.W.
outside of Sydney. Paul Gleeson,
Vice President of the Maitland/
Newcastle Diocese of the S.V.D.P.
(N.S.W.) and chair of the Compeer
Newcastle Task Force reports that the
Compeer Program’s commencement
in Newcastle is highly anticipated by
the mental health community in the
area. Area Mental
Health and 5 different
mental
health N.G.O.s are
represented
on
the task force. Recruitment for a
coordinator is currently underway, Paul Gleeson is chair
and the task force of the Compeer
Newcastle Task
plans to host an Force.
official
launch
party for Compeer Newcastle in May
2010 to coincide with National Volunteer Week.
AU, US Come Together in New York State
In late summer 2009, a
representative from the
State Council N.S.W. St.
Vincent de Paul Society
(S.V.D.P.) travelled to
New York State for a
meeting.
Avon, N.Y.
Lewisham, N.S.W.
Chapel Hill/Carrboro, N.C.
Newark, Ohio
Charlotte, N.C.
Buffalo, N.Y.
Lockport, N.Y.
Wichita, Kan.
Director, Program Share
Silver Anniversary
Compeer
Greater Buffalo
Executive Director Michele
Brown has managed the program since it
began in 1985.
Read more, including Michele’s compelling Compeer story
at www.compeer.org, click on
News.
Beverley Kerr and Dana Frame exchange information
over the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Annual Report
which describes Compeer and mental health programs
in Australia.
Compeer Renews Participation Pledge
for National Children’s MH Event
Compeer Inc. will again participate in the federally-sponsored National Children’s Mental
Health Awareness Day as a Collaborating Organization at the Supporter Level. Last year
Compeer Inc. and affiliates promoted the event
through varied media outlets and will repeat the
effort. Read more on page 4 of this newsletter,
and stay tuned at compeer.org as the day nears.
Beverley Kerr, State Vice
President for S.V.D.P.
(N.S.W.) met with Compeer Inc. then-Interim
President Dana Frame
and N.Y.S. Programs Director Johanna Ambrose
to review the newest License Agreement prior to
approval by the Compeer Inc. Board. Conversation included the vast
geographical area covered by N.S.W. Compeer
programs.
Kerr imparted that Compeer is fully support by
the N.S.W. State Council
of S.V.D.P. The Compeer
Sydney program has
been running for thirteen
years with matches still
ongoing.
COMPEEREVIEW
Page 2
Viewpoint: Speaking of the weather, and how it connects us
Dear Friends and Compeer Affiliates,
Oh, the weather outside is exciting here in upstate New
York! Ten to fifteen inches of snow are predicted by morning—then some more! Look at the beauty that surrounds us
— or see how annoying this can be.
There I go again talking about the weather. It’s something I
enjoy doing: that simple awareness of what is going on
around me and then talking with someone about it. It’s a
conversation starter no matter what kind of relationship you
have with the person you are talking with. It’s friendly and
something we all can do when we want to connect. So take
a moment and breathe. Become aware and share a friendly
conversation about the weather with someone nearby. It’s a
connection about a universal truth that changes the chemistry of the moment. That is what friendship does; this is what
we know Compeer does. You prove that every day.
your needs as I get to know
each affiliate.
I also would like to thank
you all for your kind words,
thoughts, and prayers during this difficult time in my
life with the loss of both my
father and mother. You are
all inspirational to me for
the work that you do and
lives that you effect.
You will see printed in this newsletter a poem about the
weather, written by my mother Nicolina Biagetti in February, 1977. I read this during her memorial service and I
want to share it with you.
Making friends and changing lives.
Evidence based practices. Supportive friendship. Recidivism. One to one matches. Residence based agencies.
S.A.M.H.S.A. Mental health challenges. This is the “busyness” of Compeer, and this is the language we use when
we need to prove what we do is effective in order to get the
funding we need to accomplish our work of “making
friends and changing lives” in the communities you live
and serve in.
We also do this through our evaluation process. One of my
first challenges here has been to complete and deliver on
our 2008 survey. Currently this is our tool for performance
evaluation. This is an important instrument of measure for
each affiliate and needed for the Compeer, Inc. international offices in order to present our case of effectiveness.
Simply by looking at the two graphs presented on Page
Three of this newsletter, a conclusion of success can be
quickly made. We all know a lot work by many people
goes into making the realities of these friendships successful. Demonstrating this success of your work with an individual in mental health recovery is important for our future.
During the next several months you will be engaged once
again in this annual survey for 2009 results. My request to
each affiliate is to participate in this process. It is more than
a requirement: it is our language of proof. This proof gets
us funding. You know the need is there; now I need your
help to bring our response rate back from 54% at the affiliate level to 100%. My organization is here to support your
needs with branding, exposure, international coverage,
marketing, technology, delivery of training and certification, international conferences, sponsorships and collaborations. These are my charges, but I need your help in
order to paint our picture of effectiveness. I will also be
working to make this evaluation easier to administer for the
2010 survey.
So, back to friendship. It seems as simple as talking about
the weather, but we know that the real work is in the relationship. I hope that our relationship will be long and successful, and I look forward to talking about the weather and
WINTER’S WILD WALTZ
By Nicolina Biagetti
Beautiful Lady Earth sits sedately in her
Blinding white gown.
She’s so quiet and serene
Her striking beauty touches all around her.
Mystically the spell is broken
And there is a stir of music
The North Wind asks her for this waltz
They dance gracefully and slowly
Her skirt begins to billow
Suddenly the music picks up tempo.
The violins whistle unrelentlessly
Earth and Wind are bound together in a furious waltz.
The skirt of Earth is swishing as she twirls by
The fabric flying so with the movements
Stinging all in its wake.
Music and dancers reach a deafening crescendo
And suddenly all is very serene again.
Earth sleeps in pure white beauty
In the morning she awakens
The sun pours down on her.
She glows in the morning memory of the Wild Waltz
She dons her green velvet morning coat.
The Plushness is enhanced by the bouquet she carries.
Tulips and Daffodils –she walks gracefully to greet her new beau.
She smiles radiantly. Spring has arrived.
COMPEEREVIEW
Page 3
Compeer Involvement Equals Achievement
Sarah Myers began her career with
Compeer as a founding member of
Compeer Lancaster, Pennsylvania,
and became its first director in
2001. After nearly a decade of
dedication
and
achievement,
Myers retired in January. Prior to
her Compeer involvement, Myers
worked as a psychiatric occupational therapist. “Her contribution
Sarah Myers retires. to people in mental health recovery
has been a lifetime commitment,”
states Compeer Chester County Program Director Rob Chisholm.
During Myers’ tenure, Compeer Lancaster received many awards, including international recognition
from Compeer Inc. Most recent
Compeer awards: Outstanding Public Relations Achievement; Outstanding Adult Match; Outstanding Nancy Williams, is
the new program
Volunteer Recruitment Idea.
director.
The Wichita, Kansas Adult Compeer Program is proud to announce that Lee
Ann Childers, Adult Coordinator, received an Outstanding Service Provider
Award from the Wichita National Alliance on Mental Illness (N.A.M.I.) Chapter in December. In addition to her coordinator duties, Childers encourages
consumers and their families to seek support from N.A.M.I. as needed. She
also facilitates four Schizophrenics Anonymous self-help groups and leads
several offsite socialization mentoring groups in the community. “Lee Ann is
a very strong advocate for persons with a mental illness through Compeer
and N.A.M.I.,” said Patty Gnefkow, Wichita Compeer Program Director.
Photo, l. to r., Lee Ann Childers with Lynn Kohr, the N.A.M.I. member who
nominated Childers. Kohr sits on the Compeer Advisory Board in Wichita.
2009 Compeer Inc. Annual Survey Underway
Affiliates work from November to April to complete the four-part annual survey administered by Compeer Inc..
Part I reports on program demographics, Part II (Adult) and Part III (Youth) respondents rate their level of
agreement with statements regarding the Compeer match relationship, and Part IV is a Compeer Inc. customer
satisfaction survey. Compeer Inc. Vice President Mary Ellen Budny worked with Mark Salzer, Ph.D., Director,
University of Pennsylvania Collaborative on Community Integration on improvements to the 2009 survey. Detail
from the 2008 annual survey below demonstrates positive outcomes from Part II survey respondents.
Com peer, Inc. National Survey
2008 Adult Client Im provem ent in Core Indicators
Percentage of client improvement
50%
45%
45%
42%
40%
42%
41%40%
40%
38%
36%
34%
35%
36%
32%33%
39%38%
39%
34%
32%
32%
34% 34%
32%
30%
Client
25%
Volunteer
20%
MHP
15%
10%
5%
0%
Feeling cared
about
Feeling
understood
Self -esteem
Selfconfidence
Focus areas
Trust in
others
Comf ort in
social
situations
Decreased
Loneliness
Awareness Day Turns 5!
National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day is a day for everyone to promote
positive development of infants, toddlers,
children and youth. The 2010 national
event will be held in Washington, D.C. on
May 6. Find out more now at
www.samhsa.gov/children.
Compeer is proud to be a supporter of
2010 Awareness Day.
Compeer, Inc.
2010 Board
J. Theodore Smith, Chair
Dana Frame
Pam Giambrone
Ted H. Kordela
Patrick J. Solomon, Esq.
CompeeReview is a publication of
Compeer, Inc.
800.836.0475 toll free
President/Executive Director
Lida M. Riedlinger
Vice President, Customer Relations
Mary Ellen Budny
Spring
is a great time to wear
your team spirit and share it with
friends.
Director, Compeer N.Y. Programs
Johanna Ambrose
Support Staff: Donna Jo Clarke,
Marjorie Feldman, Barbara Mestler,
Andrew S. Rawdon, Susanna Tessoni
The Compeer Cap is available to
order through the Compeer Inc.
Web Store. Caps are priced individually at $10.00 USD plus shipping
costs. Great discounts are available
for quantity orders.
Regional Representatives: Loretta Nichols, New South Wales.; Patty Gnefkow,
Kansas; Johanna Ambrose, New York;
Elaine Callihan, Joe Cruice (co-reps),
Pennsylvania; Shannon Jaccard, West
Visit www.compeer.org, click on
Store.
Contributing writers this issue:
Patty Gnefkow, Beverley Kerr,
Loretta Nichols
Editor: Johanna Ambrose
jambrose@compeer.org
CompeeReview
A PUBLICATION OF COMPEER INC.
CompeeReview
259 Monroe Avenue
Rochester, NY 14607
(800) 836-0475
www.compeer.org
Making friends. Changing lives.
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
This newsletter is donated in part through the generosity of Janssen Pharmaceutica.