Ophelia’s Place to Open Space for Girl Empowerment in Downtown Albany Soon
Updated May, 2022
ALBANY, Ore. – Ophelia’s Place, a prevention-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering girls, is officially opening its long-awaited Albany location soon.
Beginning this summer and fall, girls ages 10-18 will have the opportunity to meet new friends, explore new interests, and connect with trauma-informed adults to help navigate the joys and challenges of their teen years.
The 1,755 square-foot space – located at the corner of 4th and Lyons Street in downtown Albany – is being designed to educate, empower, and support girls with after-school workshops and activities, and strength-based therapy. All youth activities will be free or available on a sliding scale.
“Any girl age 10-18 is welcome,” said Executive Director Verna Wise Matthews. “School closures, the pandemic, conversations around racial injustice, and the current state of world affairs is taking a cumulative toll on youth. Those issues don’t even include the everyday joys and challenges of being a teen, like building healthy relationships, bullying, body image, and more. Albany girls will have a space to discover their resilience, uncover their strengths and voices, and to have one more resource in their lives dedicated to helping them create a future they can be proud of.”
Ophelia’s Place is no stranger to Albany. In 2018, community members Fred & Gina Vetter helped to fund OP services through the Greater Albany School District with Girls Empowerment Groups, in-school Therapy, and Young Amazing Women of Color Groups. It’s also provides classroom presentations to all youth covering topics like bullying, building healthy relationships, media & body image, internet safety, and much more.
“Having a source like Ophelia’s Place for girls gives them a place full of trained adults and peers they can connect with, learn from, and feel empowered by,” said Lisa Harlan, assistant superintendent of the Greater Albany School District. “Partnering with Ophelia's Place is one more way we can support students and families as we work hard to support the social and emotional well-being of our students.”
During the 2020-21 Albany school year, OP provided 184 virtual therapy sessions, served more than 2,900 youth with virtual classroom presentations and supported 25 youth through virtual Girls Empowerment Groups at Albany middle and high schools.
Ophelia’s Place was founded in 2005 by Rosaria Haugland, a retired biochemist and co-founder of a Eugene biotechnology company. Her vision was to provide intervention at an early point in a girl’s life to give her an opportunity to develop supportive relationships and strengths that will lead to her long-term well-being.
Ophelia’s Place has physical locations in Eugene and Junction City, where, before they paused for COVID-19, served more than 200 youth on average per month with after-school activities and therapy. OP currently provides limited in-person services and virtual programming to better meet girls where they are. Adults are supported too through parent activities, and professional development training for youth-serving providers.
The Albany space will be staffed with an after-school program coordinator, therapists, and OSU and LBCC interns. The job postings are available on OP’s website.