"This is the time (people) really need support; there is a lot of anxiety," said Donna Kueny, program director for Compeer Chester County, a nonprofit organization that pairs people living with mental health conditions with volunteer friends from the community. "There has never been a more appropriate time for staying in touch with people, letting them know someone cares about them and providing hope."
As part of the program, Compeer volunteers are paired with individuals of the same gender and geographical area who share common interests. Prior to the pandemic, the pairs shared activities such as attending a sporting event or a movie.
Currently, most clients and their volunteer friends continue to keep in touch through phone calls, email and texting. "We have not been able to do Zoom only because most of our folks don't have computers at home," Kueny noted.
Some pairs, however, have been meeting in person at restaurants or for shopping with masks and social distancing in place. Kueny noted that one client and his Compeer friend meet outdoors at local parks to hike.
"Everyone is still in contact. Some people are actually out doing things, and others are more comfortable talking on the phone or through text," Kueny said. "We send out CDC guidelines all the time. We suggested they not do a lot of socialization over the holidays. We thought it would be best (for them) to say in touch virtually."
Compeer is in need of volunteers, who must take part in a phone interview, complete an application and have appropriate clearances. "Once they are cleared, we set up a date for training. Another date is set to go over some matches," Kueny explained. "We are doing training over the phone and sending materials to the volunteers. That is all done virtually now."
Those who are waiting for a match are assigned a "Compeer caller" who calls them once a week to keep in touch.
"We did not have a lot of volunteers for the first six months of the pandemic," Kueny added. "It has just started picking up. We have some young female (volunteers) who just graduated from college who want to give back."
Individuals in the program have been diagnosed with conditions such as depression, social anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, and they are referred to the program by a mental health professional. "The people we accept into the program are working in conjunction with their therapist or case manager," noted Kueny. "They have been stable in the community for a while, and they have the support of the entire team throughout the whole process."
Compeer Chester County is a program of Mental Health Partnerships (MHP). It is funded by the Chester County Department of Mental Health/Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (MH/IDD) and private donations.
To learn more about Compeer Chester County, including volunteer opportunities, contact Kueny at 610-436-4445 or dkueny@mhphope.org. More information is also available at http://www.compeerchesco.org.
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