DECEMBER 2009
COMPEEREVIEW
A PUBLICATION OF COMPEER INC.
Mental health recovery through the healing power of friendship
www.compeer.org
RIEDLINGER NAMED COMPEER INC. PRESIDENT
Compeer Inc. has announced a new president to
assume the organization's
top
leadership
role.
Lida M. Riedlinger was appointed president/executive
director by the Compeer
Inc. Board of Directors. In
this role, Riedlinger will provide leadership to the Compeer Inc. team, work closely
with U.S. and international
affiliates to strengthen program support, and deliver
brand awareness through
program delivery excellence and repeatability.
Riedlinger brings expertise
in organizational development, business process, program leadership and account
management.
Interim
President
Dana
Frame will join the Compeer
Inc. board while continuing
in her capacity as president
of Compeer Rochester Inc.
Read Lida’s letter to Compeer friends and supporters
inside.
Compeer Inc. President/Executive Director Lida
M. Riedlinger brings commitment to affiliates.
IN AUSTRALIA: ACT STARTS PROGRAM, NSW ADDS POSITION
Australian Capital Territory Opens Its First
Compeer Program
Nichols Fills Newly-Created State
Coordinator Position
Compeer Inc. welcomed a
new affiliate in Australia this
year. The South Canberra/
Queanbeyan program, sponsored by the St. Vincent de
Paul Society Pty Limited began operating in the Australian Capital District (ACT)
this past summer. The program will serve the southern
suburbs of South Canberra,
ACT and Queanbeyan, New
South Wales (NSW).
Loretta Nichols was hired as
the Compeer New South
Wales (NSW) state coordinator several months ago. The
position was created by sponsor agency St. Vincent de
Paul Society to provide support and a central point of
contact for Compeer coordinators in the state. The role is
strategic in nature, with a focus on standardizing processes for Compeer programs.
Kerrie Richardson is the
According to the startup pro- coordinator for the South
posal, Canberra is the “bush Canberra/Queanbeyan
capital” of Australia. It is the Compeer program
site of the federal Parliament
House; its main industry is
government administration and
defense.
Nichols is a clinical psycholo- Loretta Nichols takes on
regional representative
gist who has worked as a duties for NSW.
school counselor, and with
people living with chronic pain,
eating disorders and anxiety disorders. Prior to joining
Compeer, she worked with inpatients in a private psychiatric hospital, and moved on to managing the outpatient department, providing day programs for people
recently discharged from the hospital.
COMPEEREVIEW
Page 2
Viewpoint: A Letter from Lida
Dear Friend of Compeer:
It is with great enthusiasm that I take on the dedicated
leadership role of Compeer Inc. as president/executive
director. My passion for continuing the important work
being done through the affiliate programs comes from
a clear understanding of the impact that the power of a
“Supportive Friendship” can bring to an individual on
the path of recovery from a mental illness, as well as
the assurance and support to the family as a side benefit to this volunteer relationship.
My commitment to Compeer Inc. has been manifold, as
mental illness has been a part of my life for as long as I
can remember. My mother Nicolina Biagetti, now 82
years old, has struggled with Bipolar and Anxiety Disorder all her life. She lives in the Finger Lakes Region
of upstate New York in the beautiful, rural lakeside
village of Watkins Glen, where community support
programs for friendship and recovery from a mental
illness are scarce. This has brought her much social
isolation, loneliness and physical illness. The core values of Compeer Inc. have always been aligned with my
beliefs and understanding of what the power of friendship can bring to an individual on their journey of recovery.
I am not new to Compeer Inc. I have spent many volunteer hours over an eleven year period as a board
member to the Compeer Inc. founding program in
Rochester, New York. In my early years of participation, I was a member of the Affiliate Program Committee (I.A.C.P.) in which we re-wrote the contract/
licensing agreement. Through that process I gained an
awareness of the importance of the work being done by
Compeer affiliates as key to mental health recovery at a
social and community level.
My desire is to provide leadership for the good work
that is being done by the staff of Compeer Inc. (Mary
Ellen Budny, Johanna Ambrose and Barbara Mestler)
and the seventy-two Compeer affiliates. I intend to
work closely with the affiliates and the Compeer Inc.
Board of Directors. Some of my more specific goals
will be to get to know you; to strengthen the support to
programs; to build our board of directors; and to deliver brand awareness through program delivery excellence and repeatability.
My professional experience spans twenty years which
began as a corporate trainer in the then-emerging computer graphics/business communications market segment. I moved into sales and sales leadership, business
process improvement, training and organizational development in the telecommunications market segment
for Rochester Telephone, Frontier Communications and
Global Crossing. These career opportunities provided
me with the experience of designing and delivering
training-based services worldwide.
I provide leadership and collaborative skills that inspire and achieve results. I have a strong commitment
to getting the job done well, community outreach and
care for people. I sincerely look forward to working
with all of you.
Sincerely,
Lida Riedlinger
REGIONAl RESENTATIVES
Australia
Loretta Nichols
Kansas
Patty Gnefkow, Patricia Phillips
(co-representatives)
New York
Johanna Ambrose
Pennsylvania
Elaine Callihan, Joe Cruice
(co-representatives)
West
Shannon Jaccard
NEXT MEETING: January 21, 2010, 4:00 p.m. (E.S.T.)
COMPEEREVIEW
Page 3
Regions Host Affiliate Gatherings
Pennsylvania, New York and Australia offered opportunities for Compeer professionals to
gather and grow together.
The Pennsylvania Compeer Coalition (P.C.C.) annual spring retreat at the end of April included affiliates
from West Virginia, Ohio, Kansas, and Compeer Inc. Mark Salzer, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania Collaborative on Community Integation, built on his Compeer Inc. webinar presentation “Making the Case for
Compeer.” For the P.C.C. retreat he elaborated on the topic with a new powerpoint for Compeer,
“Toolbox: Policy, Theory, and Research.”
Above left: P.C.C. members Elaine Callahan, Butler; Joe Cruice, Eagleville; Rob Chisholm, West Chester; and Ginny Mastrine,
Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Dept. of Public Welfare liaison to P.C.C. Top right: Patty Gnefkow,
Wichita, Kan. with Mary Ellen Budny, Compeer Inc.. Lower right individually: Karen Fox, Iowa City, Iowa, and Kristen Frame,
Newark, Ohio.
Compeer New York held its
annual conference in October.
Themed around “Plan Ahead:
Friendship Forward,” the daylong event featured a morning
workshop on strategic planning and afternoon minisessions on current topics like
social marketing, fee for service, and stakeholder education.
N.Y. affiliates work on planning as a
group (pictured top right) and by
location. Bottom photo shows Jodie
Ronan, Yvette Piper and Linda Prato
brainstorming Utica plan.
Speakers and topics at the
Australia Compeer conference in November included N.G.O.s and duty
of care, engaging young
people, reducing stigma,
building relationship with
health professionals, and
social inclusion. The conference was held in Adelaide, South Australia with
attendees from each Australian state with a Compeer program, as well as
two states currently investigating program startup.
One of the greatest gifts we receive is the people we meet,
the friends we make and the people we love.
Another precious gift is the resiliency we develop through
the virtue and compassion of others.
The third precious gift is life’s challenges they give birth to our creativity, foster hope,
and give meaning and inspiration to our lives.
Wishing you many wonderful people in your life, and
many outbursts of creativity.
Remember to inspire others and
take the time to be inspired.
May the light of hope shine bright!
Compeer, Inc.
2010 Board
J. Theodore Smith, Chair
Dana Frame
Pam Giambrone
Ted H. Kordela
CompeeReview is a publication of
Compeer, Inc.
President/Executive Director
Lida M. Riedlinger
V.P., Customer Relations
Mary Ellen Budny
Support Staff: Donna Jo Clarke,
Marjorie Feldman, Barbara Mestler,
Andrew S. Rawdon, Susanna Tessoni
CompeeReview contact information:
800.836.0475 toll free
Editor: Johanna Ambrose
jambrose@compeer.org
www.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.
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This newsletter is donated in part through the generosity of Janssen Pharmaceutica.