A survey of 83 advocates for the retarded in three Florida programs was conducted to obtain descriptive information regarding people who volunteer to become advocates, to determine advocates' reasons for volunteering, and to examine advocates' perceptions of the effects of the advocacy program on the proteges and on themselves. Among findings were that advocates volunteered because they wanted to help a handicapped person or because they wanted to fulfil some void in their own lives; that advocates did not report many negative community attitudes toward their protege, nor did they perceive that the proteges felt stigmatized by their condition of mental retardation; and that during their interactions with proteges, advocates discussed mostly general social concerns and tended to avoid discussions involving intimate matters, such as sex and family problems. (SBH)