PCC Annual Retreat
Each third week of April, the various Compeer affiliates in Pennsylvania gather for a three day retreat in State College, PA.
The retreat focuses on several areas:
- Supporting each other
Sharing best practices; feedback on issues or questions that arise in each affiliate; celebrating successes - Expanding our knowledge of mental health recovery
Speakers on topics such as bipolar disorder; peer relationships; PTSD; and trauma - Taking care of the business of the PCC
Grant writing; allocation of resources - Outreach to a veteran’s organization
Past outreach includes creating toiletry bags for veterans and starter cleaning kits for new homes
PCC CompeerCORPS Conference
Each October, the Pennsylvania Compeer Coalition holds a conference focusing solely on the needs of the veteran population.
The 2017 conference invited agencies and counties to learn more about the Compeer Model and how the peer-to-peer relationship of a CompeerCORPS connection can support a veteran on his/her road to mental wellness. Richard Hamp, Director of the Bureau of Veterans Programs, Initiatives, Reintegration and Outreach for the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, was the keynote speaker.
Other sessions at the CompeerCORPS Conference featured Cheri Alvarez, chief program officer of Compeer Inc. in Buffalo, New York; and Tina Caviness, director of CompeerCORPS of Compeer, Inc.; a Q&A panel with current Compeer affiliates in Pennsylvania; and a speaker on the value of peer-to-peer relationships in mental health recovery.