Who We Are
Our Founder
Meet Deborah
Deborah Geesling’s life changed when one of her four sons developed a serious mental illness (SMI). Alongside her husband, Matthew, she faced the overwhelming challenges of navigating a broken healthcare system to get their son the care he needed. This experience opened her eyes to the struggles of families in similar situations, leading her to advocate for both individuals with SMI and their caregivers.
In 2015, Deborah and Matthew founded P82 Project Restoration with a mission to bring hope to caregivers and provide permanent shelter for men with SMI.
Deborah's influence has reached both state and national levels, where her advocacy has led to transformative policy changes. In Arizona, she co-authored and successfully lobbied for SCR1005, a resolution recognizing the rights of family members, caregivers, and guardians of individuals with SMI. She played a key role in passing state legislation to improve communication between healthcare providers and families, ensuring greater transparency and collaboration in care. Her advocacy efforts have amplified the voices of caregivers across America, bringing much-needed attention to the gaps in mental health care.
Her passion is not only to help those directly affected but also to remind caregivers that they are not alone. Through her work, she hopes to share the love of Christ with those who feel abandoned, offering them the same grace and support that has sustained her own family. Read Deborah's full testimony and advocacy accomplishments here.
Meet Matthew
Matthew Geesling is the steady, behind-the-scenes presence supporting his wife Deborah Geesling, founder of P82 Project Restoration. Together they have four sons, one of which struggles with Serious Mental Illness. Though Matthew is not involved in every day-to-day detail of P82, Deborah relies on him for wisdom, support and strength while she navigates running a nonprofit. Listen to an interview from 91.5 KJZZ to learn more about the family that has used their experience with SMI to support and care for others with similar experiences here.
Our Name
Psalm 82
P82 exists to help the helpless. Why? Because God first helped us. The apostle Paul said, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8) This is the heart and message of who we are and what we do. This is why we want to help.
Our Board
Deborah Geesling, President
Advocate, Founder
Nancy Barto, Member
Former AZ State Senator
Richard Corcilius, Member
Owner, RichCor
Matthew Geesling, Treasurer
Division Manager of Technologies
with Teamfishel
Joe Barto, Member
Retired Consultant
Micalann Corcilius, Member
Owner, RichCor
Richard Mihalik, Member