Airport Marina Counseling Service

06/12/2026

Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about yourself and how you can transition into an independent life. You don't have to do it alone. AMCS can help!

The mission of AMCS is to provide affordable, community-based mental health services for people of al

06/11/2026

Dine-in or take out your favorite menu items from California Pizza Kitchen and know that you are supporting the Westchester Mental Health Guild and AMCS at the same time!

Take out | Dine-in | Catering | Online

Wednesday and Thursday,
June 17 and 18, 2026
Manhattan Village – 3320 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach

California Pizza Kitchen will donate 20% of your order to WMHG.

You must present a printed copy of the coupon above in order to benefit the Guild.

Born in Beverly Hills in 1985, former federal prosecutors Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax combined their passion for food with fresh high-quality ingredients to create California Pizza Kitchen (CPK). Introducing diners to innovative California-style pizza with the invention of The Original BBQ Chicken Pizza. Today, CPK continues to reimagine California creativity, pushing culinary boundaries with a long list of industry-firsts including gluten-free crust, cauliflower crust, and healthful Power Bowls. Handcrafted with fresh, seasonally inspired ingredients, each dish and cocktail served at CPK is uniquely built on innovation.

You can also print the coupon directly from the Guild's website: https://westchestermhg.org/

06/10/2026

Get your racket, warm up your swing and let's play some pickleball to benefit Airport Marina Counseling Service!

Westchester Pickleball is hosting a tournament on July 11 and proceeds will go to AMCS.

Thank you to Michael Koss from Westchester Pickleball for organizing the event and choosing AMCS as the beneficiary.

If you are interested in participating (you don't even need a partner, you can be paired up with another single), please visit: https://swishtournaments.com/product/westchester-pickleball-summer-tournament/

The event will include a wide array of raffle prizes, including ALLOY Personal Training 2-month memberships, $100 Islands gift card, Planta Cocina $50 gift card, Archer Pilates gift certificates, VINEBOX wine gift sets, Engage paddles and bags, and probably more to come!

Everyone who enters is eligible to win a prize, whether you win the Tourney or not! Tourney winners will receive medals.

06/03/2026

Pride Month is a time to honor the LGBTQ+ community – to uplift their voices, celebrate their cultures, and recognize the progress and remaining work in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights.

How is Pride relevant to mental health?

Inequity harms mental health. While being LGBTQ+ is NOT a mental health condition or concern, LGBTQ+ individuals experience mental health struggles at higher rates than their straight and cisgender peers. Mental health challenges among the LGBTQ+ community are primarily due to individuals facing stigma, discrimination, and bias in many forms.

With an increasing amount of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being proposed and enacted across the United States, 2026 has been a particularly difficult year for many LGBTQ+ people whose identities are being politicized. Not only does each discriminatory bill harm the LGBTQ+ individuals that it directly impacts, it also sends a broader message that LGBTQ+ people don’t have the right to exist or thrive in the ways that non-LGBTQ+ folks do.

Fast Facts

• LGBTQ+ people are twice as likely as non-LGBTQ+ people to have a mental health condition and continue to show disparities in mental health, even though they are more likely to use mental health services.
• People who identify as LGBTQ+ have more frequent suicidal thoughts, and rates are continuing to rise. Fifty-six percent of LGBTQ+ individuals who took an MHA depression screen reported having suicidal thoughts more than half or nearly every day of the previous two weeks!
• The Trevor Project reports that 90% of LGBTQ+ youth said their well-being was negatively impacted due to recent politics, 50% reported they were unable to get the mental health care they needed, and 39% reported having seriously considered attempting su***de in the past year.
• According to the U.S. Transgender Survey, 40% of transgender adults have attempted su***de during their lifetime, compared to less than 5% of the general U.S. population.

Pride Month is a time to recognize the progress and remaining work in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, including access to affirming health and mental health care. Find resources, articles, and more at www.mhanational.org/pride and be sure to attend AMCS's Pride Fest celebration on June 20: https://www.amcshelps.com/pride-fest-26

05/27/2026

Come one, come all to AMCS's 6th Annual PrideFest from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 20, a FREE family-friendly fair with games, speakers, food, and music to celebrate the LGBTQ community, pride, and mental health.

Our keynote speaker is the phenomenal Bamby Salcedo (she/her), trans Latina activist; and our emcee is Dr. Mimi Hoang (she/her), Program Coordinator of the AMCS LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy Center. We will be featuring "pride stations" with fun and educational activities. And did we mention food, wine, DJ, and prizes?

Community vendors are welcome to apply to host a booth. Come to also learn more about our sliding scale LGBTQ-affirmative psychotherapy services including individual, couples/relationship, and group therapy, as well as our therapist training program. Please reserve your FREE ticket at: bit.ly/pridefest2026

Meet our speakers for this year's event:

05/20/2026

We would like to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who attended and supported our 22nd Annual Spring Celebration on May 14 at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel.

It was inspiring to see us all come together to honor 65 years of healing and recognize our community of heroes! Their unwavering support of Airport Marina Counseling Service and our entire community has enabled us to continue our legacy of helping those in our community who need it most.

Throughout the evening, we took time to celebrate the clinic’s on-going efforts to provide affordable, community-based mental health services and to support the training of more than 60 mental health therapists each year. From its opening in 1961 to today, AMCS has continued to grow and expand its programs and services. Today, our non-profit clinic serves hundreds of individuals, children and families and couples every week – all on a sliding-scale basis.

Thanks to your incredible support, the Spring Celebration raised more than $350,000 to help those who may not otherwise seek mental health services get the help they need.

If you haven’t made a gift to Airport Marina Counseling Service yet, there is still time to give. We invite you to make a donation of any amount - every gift is a critical investment in youth and our community.

We are so excited that the community recognizes the important role AMCS plays in making sure everyone has access to mental health services, and thank you to everyone who made this special night a success!

Eden Garcia-Balis, LMFT
CEO

Check out all the photos from Venice Paparazzi here: https://photos.venicepaparazzi.com/Airport-Marina-Counseling-Service/2026-AMCS-Spring

05/07/2026

: Our 2026 Spring into Well-Being Celebration online auction is now open, offering a fantastic selection of items to suit every taste and budget.

By bidding on our auction items, you'll not only snag amazing deals on fun family experiences, travel, fashion, dining, events, and more, but you'll also be contributing to our mission to provide low-cost mental health services and train a new generation of therapists.

The auction includes a great mix of family, fun, sports, and date-night experiences. Family highlights include Universal Studios, the Aquarium of the Pacific, a private bowling party, and a private tour of the Los Angeles Zoo. Sports packages feature tickets to the Chargers, Dodgers, LA Kings, and LA Galaxy. Date nights and getaways include whale watching, sportfishing, a dinner cruise, the Magic Castle, shows at the Pantages with dinner, lunch with a Laker insider, a night at the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey, a two-night stay at a Wrightwood cabin, a Palm Springs getaway, and gift certificates to Tomat and Café Pinguini. Plus, lots of fun baskets.

Our online silent auction will run from today until our Spring into Well-Being Celebration event on May 14. Some items may also be combined or included in baskets.

New items will continue to be added to the auction almost daily between now and the Spring into Well-Being Celebration on May 14 so keep checking back for more great deals!

The auction will close at 7:30 p.m. on the day of the Spring Celebration, May 14. Winners do not need to be present to claim their items, but they will be responsible for any shipping costs if they cannot pick up their items in person.

Don't miss your chance to bid on a wide range of exciting items and support our cause.

The auction site can be accessed via mobile phone or computer. Happy bidding!
Click HERE to Bid Today: https://my.onecause.com/event/organizations/sf-0013c00001rG9aCAAS/events/vevt:5d1d61c5-fe07-4776-98a8-9a28c172735f/auctions/silent-auction

Check out the Spring into Well-Being Celebration event web page at: https://my.onecause.com/event/organizations/sf-0013c00001rG9aCAAS/events/vevt:5d1d61c5-fe07-4776-98a8-9a28c172735f/home/story

05/06/2026

Children’s mental health has become an increasingly urgent issue – with 20% of adolescents in the United States now reporting unmet mental health care needs. There is a continuing rise in children’s mental health diagnoses, and a growing concern over the impact social media is having on our kids. Adolescents who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems. Between 2018 and 2021, su***de was the second leading cause of death among young adults in California, accounting for 20% of all deaths in this age range. Nationally, su***de rates among adolescents aged 10-24 years increased by 62% from 2007 to 2021, and su***de rates increased 8.2% annually from 2008 to 2022 among preteens aged 8 to 12 years.

The data supports what we all know: we must check in with our kids and take action to provide those struggling with the support they need. This week, AMCS is focused on Children's Mental Health Awareness Week and its 2026 theme of "Beyond the Screen: Education, Prevention, Connection."

During this time, we urge everyone to focus on the intersection of technology, family, and child well-being. AMCS encourages your family to join this effort by setting screen time limits, promoting physical activity, and establishing screen-free zones or times, like meals or bedtime.

This week, the first week of Mental Health Awareness Month, is an opportunity for people to talk to each other, sit down with their kids, and reach out for help. We urge everyone to learn about the resources and services available to support children’s mental health at www.chhs.ca.gov/youthresources.

If you or your child is seeking professional help, you can reach out directly to AMCS by calling (310) 670-1410.

05/05/2026

We are just about one week away from our signature fundraiser, the “Spring into Well-Being” Celebration, and this year’s Celebration will include another spectacular wine and spirits basket drawing!

Only 50 tickets will be sold for this extraordinary raffle package, valued at over $1,900! One lucky winner will take home a luxurious collection of nine world-class wines and six premium spirits.

All proceeds support AMCS’s life-changing mental health programs.
Exceptional Wine Collection (Value: $1,000+)

Curated for the true connoisseur, this seven-bottle selection features rare and renowned collector-level wines from legendary winemakers across California

• Wayfarer Fort Ross-Seaview Sonoma Pinot 2023 (Sonoma Coast)
• Aubert Powder House Chardonnay 2023 (Sonoma Coast)
• Rivers-Marie Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2024
• Forman Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (Napa Valley)
• Merry Edwards “Richaven” Pinot Noir 2021 (Russian River Valley)
• A Saxum “James Berry Vineyard” Syrah Red blend Willow Creek (Paso Robles)
• Ceritas “Colina” Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 (California)

Premium Spirits Collection (Value: $900+)
Featuring multiple award-winning, 95+ point, and ‘Best in the World’ spirits across tequila, bourbon, vodka, and Japanese whisky.

• Nikka Whisky From the Barrel
• Frank August Small Batch Kentucky Whiskey
• Beluga Gold Line Vodka
• Cierto Añejo Tequila
• Clase Azul Reposado
• Casa Dragones Joven

Raffle Ticket Details
• $100 per ticket
• Only 50 tickets will be sold
• Winner takes the entire package
• Drawing to take place at AMCS’s Spring into Well-Being Celebration
• Need not be present to win

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by emailing Ramona Barnes at [email protected].

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to indulge in some of the world’s finest wines, spirits, and dining – all while supporting accessible mental health services in your community.

Get your tickets today. Good luck!

05/02/2026

AMCS is excited to announce its speakers for our PrideFest event in June! The FREE family-friendly outdoor event will feature multiple “Pride stations” with fun and educational activities and games facilitated by therapists from AMCS’s LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy Center, plus guest speakers, music, food, and more. 🌈