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What is POMPC?
Peace of Mind Pacific County is a dedicated non-profit organization committed to promoting mental wellness and breaking down the stigmas surrounding mental health and grief. Founded and led by individuals with lived experience, POMPC offers free peer support groups, community events, and training programs designed to foster connection, healing, and hope. Through compassionate outreach and education, we strive to create a safe and supportive space where every voice is heard, and no one feels alone in their journey.
Our Mission
The mission of Peace of Mind Pacific County is to provide education, advocacy, and peer support for brain health and mental wellness.
We are a peer-led organization rooted in lived experience, compassion, and a deep understanding of the challenges individuals face when navigating mental health and grief. Through accessible educational programs, interactive workshops, community seminars, and peer-facilitated support groups, we empower individuals to take an active role in their own healing. Our collaborative events foster connection and reduce isolation, while promoting self-advocacy, resilience, and hope for recovery.
At POMPC, we believe mental wellness is a journey—not a destination—and we are here to walk alongside every person, every step of the way.
How it All Began
Peace of Mind Pacific County (POMPC) started out as the NAMI affiliate for Pacific County in 2005. It was a small group, reaching 20 - 30 people per month. We parted amiably in 2016 because our board of directors felt that NAMI was too narrow to support the needs of our community. We wanted to broaden our support to include not only mental illnesses, but other brain related disorders as well. POMPC was incorporated in December of 2016 as a Washington State non-profit corporation and was first granted 501c3 status on March 29th 2019. Our EIN: 81-4879597. We grew from a scant 12 or so members to just under 1,000 by making membership free to any interested party. Back in 2016/17 we hosted one monthly informational dinner with a speaker and twice monthly peer led support groups. In October of 2025, Peace of Mind Pacific County became a Branch Club of the Peninsula Lions Club. This incredible partnership will bring enhanced mental wellness resources to the Long Beach Peninsula for both children and adults. We can leverage our existing commitment to education, advocacy, and support with the expanded resources of the Peninsula Lions Club and their
new focus on serving the mental wellness community.
Fast forward to today where we offer twice monthly meetings for Heart 2 Heart, Men Aloud and our
Grief Talk Group. All led by peers or people with lived experience. We have a program in collaboration with the Dylan Jude Harrell Community Center working with children 12 and under on various topics including bullying, cultural differences, expressing emotions through art and basic skills building.
POMPC also hosts or provides community training in Mental Health First Aid, Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), nutrition for a healthy brain, classical concerts for brain health, programs on the aging brain, fall prevention, mental and medical legal rights.
We have six hallmark events each year, some promoting mental wellness and brain health awareness only, some with a fundraising component because we have yet to secure a long-term grant or financial support. These five are:
1. Rock for Mental Health - community members paint rocks with sayings of support and display them in their businesses and yards, wherever they can and we provide a bright yellow sign that says, "We Rock for Mental Health." We start marketing the event in mid-April and signs are distributed on the first of May. We partner with the local libraries (5 in our county) and provide rocks for painting. They put together take and make kits that include paint for community members to pick up free of charge.
2. Dine Out for Mental Health - area restaurants and coffee shops - participate by helping us raise awareness and donating a portion of profits. Some do it for a particular item (cookies are my favorite) others do it for a specified length of time. This also runs in the month of May. In our first year seven businesses participated; in our second year 18 and 2026 will be our fifth year.
3. Hope Floats - a community-based fundraiser and awareness event. Here on the Long Beach Peninsula, we have a deep relationship with both the fishing industry and local artists. The fishing industry provides retired floats and buoys for our local artists and community members to paint. The painted floats/buoys are auctioned off to raise money for POMPC expenses. In this way we encourage awareness through community participation, and this has become one of the most successful awareness events, growing from 49 floats for the first year to 99 for the second. In 2024 we introduced the Hope Floats Gallery, a comprehensive showing of all the floats for the auction on display in one location – The Old Train Depot in downtown Long Beach. 2026 will be the fifth year and artists have already sought out floats and buoys. The auction is held in conjunction with the Wellness Festival where they are also on display for the final time before the auction ends.
4. Wellness Festival – Replacing the Wellness Walk, the Wellness Festival is a community day of fun celebrating mental wellness and brain health. Some of the components of the long-held Wellness Walk remain, our community partners will be available with information about how they can get support in numerous ways. But we
have added music, poetry, and activities for both children and adults. A devoted area called the Kids Zone will include a Bounce House, yard games and a craft area where they can create their own stress balls and decorate the new “Affirmation Wall.”
5. Family PJ Night on the second Sunday in December. Now in its fourth year, this event promotes emotional intelligence for children and healthy relationships for families. An animated film is selected for screening at our local theater. In previous years we have shown "Inside Out", "Up", “Finding Nemo” and “Charlotte’s Web” this year we will be screening “Coco” as selected by attendee vote in 2025. The movie is provided free of charge, a light meal, popcorn, and drink are provided. There is a community coloring contest leading up to the event, as well as prizes for best jammies, slippers, and stuffed animal friends. Everyone is encouraged to attend in their jammies. Over the years we have served up to 160 children and adults at a showing, which is incredible
as the theater capacity is 170!
6. And finally, we close out the year with our annual Blue Christmas Service in collaboration with Ocean Park Lutheran Church. Held annually on the Winter Solstice. This is the 9th year of collaboration and a much-needed event to express the "You are not Alone" theme. Afterwards we provide a fellowship of chili and desserts and participants can decorate our Blue Christmas tree with messages of love and support, needs, names of missed loved ones, whatever troubles them.
Contact information:
Website: www.pompc.org
Email: info@pompc.org
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 708
Ocean Park, WA 98640
Phone: 360.642.3448
Find us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/peaceofmindpacificcounty/
EIN: 81-4879597