AMCS Raises Nearly $250K At Fundraiser To Support Mental Health

MARINA DEL REY, CA — A group of community members and leaders rallied this month to raise nearly $250,000 to support Airport Marina Counseling Service and its efforts to bring people in the area low-cost community mental health services and train new therapists.

It was part of the organization's 17th annual "Spring into Well-Being” Celebration. The group celebrated AMCS’s Champion of Mental Health, Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital, which has been instrumental in helping AMCS become an indispensable part of the county’s mental health care safety net.

“We are so excited that the community recognizes the important role AMCS plays in making sure everyone has access to mental health services," AMCS CEO Eden Garcia-Balis said in a statement.

“We were excited to honor Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital and Joanne Laguna-Kennedy, who accepted the award on behalf of the hospital, for all they have done to help the clinic improve and enhance the mental health services we provide to the community,” Garcia-Balis said.

The virtual event was hosted by retired NBC4 Weather forecaster Fritz Coleman and attracted 100 community and business leaders, including Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin.

The nearly $250,000 raised will continue supporting the clinic’s mission to provide affordable, community-based mental health services and to support the training of more than 60 mental health therapists each year.

AMCS is a nonprofit, community-based mental health clinic that has served the greater LAX region since 1961. From its opening in 1961 to now, AMCS has grown and expanded its programs and resources. Today, the clinic serves hundreds of people, including children, families and couples weekly. The clinic also provides services on a sliding-scale basis.

As affordable mental health resources become more difficult to find, more people living further away from AMCS depend upon its services. Although the Clinic has no geographical boundaries, AMCS currently serves the greater LAX area including Westchester, El Segundo, Culver City, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Marina del Rey, Playa del Rey and Venice, Santa Monica, Torrance, South Los Angeles and extended areas of Los Angeles County. AMCS offers comprehensive therapeutic services to individuals, children and families, couples and older adults, many of whom would otherwise have little access to counseling.

Airport Marina Counseling Service is open seven days a week and provides a mix of successful programs, both at the Clinic and off-site, to meet the needs of people of all ages.

For more information about Airport Marina Counseling Service, please visit www.AMCShelps.com.