Our Story
Compeer Utica is an affiliate of Compeer, Inc., hosted by the Center for Family Life and Recovery. Compeer Inc. began in 1973 as the "Adopt-A-Patient" program, a project of the Rochester Mental Health Association which served residents at the Rochester Psychiatric Center. The goal of the program was to help formerly institutionalized psychiatric patients live successfully in their community.
In 1976, Bernice Skirboll was hired as the executive director of the “Adopt-A-Patient” program which she developed into a community-based mental health support program. The program’s name was changed to Compeer to reflect the purpose of Compeer which is to foster hope, support and empower youths and adults affected by a mental health condition by helping them build a supportive friendship with a community volunteer. Under Skirboll’s leadership, the program grew from a small program with only 12 volunteers to an internationally recognized mental health agency with 50+ locations worldwide.