Ophelia's Place is a nonprofit organization committed to helping girls in Lane County, Oregon make healthy life choices through prevention, support and education.

Ophelia's Place branched off from Womenspace, a domestic violence service agency, as an LLC in November of 2005.

Our Vision

Ophelia's Place is based on the vision of its founder and benefactor, Rosaria P. Haugland.

Through her philanthropy, Rosaria Haugland has always been involved in helping organizations such as Womenspace and Looking Glass which are on the front line of providing critical intervention services to children and their families. 

Her vision for Ophelia's Place is to provide services that intervene at an earlier point in a girl's life and to give her the opportunity to develop skills, resilience and strengths to thrive and reach her potential. 

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia was a young woman whose tragic circumstances and lack of support prevented her from developing healthy relationships and achieving her own potential.  Ophelia's Place was formed with a vision of providing a safe haven that is respectful and supportive of girls' voices, their feelings and their dreams.

Why Girls

Girls experience dramatic cognitive, physical and social development changes as they enter adolescence.  It is a pivotal and vulnerable time for females who are developing a sense of self strongly influenced by culture, peer relationships and a need for belonging.

Research has shown us that girls are not only socialized differently than boys, but they also learn differently. Unlike boys, girls are likely to learn new, positive skills through positive relationships with others. Healthy relationships are a big focus at Ophelia's, and we work with girls as often as possible within supportive groups that help them build these skills. Girls can often develop a heightened sense of self-esteem, self-worth and trust in her own abilities and intuition within an all-girl environment that is free from scrutiny and competition.

Ophelia's Place believes in offering programming based on best-practice models that are evidence-based and specific to the challenges, issues, needs and learning styles of girls.

Young women face challenges that are unique to girls within systems of inequality, sexism, overt media messages and stereotypical expectations.

Ophelia's Place provides a safe environment to help young women find their personal strengths, build self-esteem and develop the skills and resilience to meet a future of challenges and opportunities.