ACPS Students Honor Their Mentors with Award-Winning Essays
Jenny, who participates in the Space of Her Own (SOHO) program for pre-teen girls, honored her SOHO mentor, Erika Strattman. Read More

SOHO Annual Report FY13
A message from our President, Amy Creed, our updated mission, a SOHO spotlight, and our financials. Check out what SOHO has been up to in the past year!
Click here to download and read more!

SOHO now a member of the Virginia Mentoring Partnership
SOHO has been accepted as a member of the Virginia Mentoring Partnership and has been selected to participate in a statewide cohort designed to recognize program strengths and create a plans to improve program practices.

Alexandria Lifestyle features SOHO “BECAUSE EVERY GIRL DESERVES A SPACE OF HER OWN”
My hope is to stay in Jasmine’s life and see her off to college one day. She’s a great girl and has a lot of potential, but just like every girl in this program, they’re there for a reason and sometimes need a strong female to rely on. Read More

America’s Promise Alliance has announced Alexandria, Virginia on the 2012 list of 100 Best Communities for Young People.
This year, winners were chosen from a pool of more than 320 nominees from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They hail from 42 states, which is a record for the competition. Alexandria is an America’s Promise Alliance five-time 100 Best Communities for Young People winner! And guess who made the highlighted list for innovative community programs? SOHO! Read More

Washington Post Article: In mentor program, interiors get a makeover – Decorating bedrooms forges a bond to guide at-risk girls to college
When her fellow middle school students were more focused on the latest fashions, Mirinda Haynes faced a more life-changing issue: her mother’s death. In 2006, a year after her mother died of breast cancer, Haynes was saddled with grief, depression, resentment an’d no clear plan for her future. Today, she’s heading to college with an academic scholarship, thanks in part to Space of Her OWn, or SOHO, an Alexandria-based crime-prevention program that uses art and bedroom decorating to teach girls life skills and set them on a college track…  Click here to download and read more!

AD2DC Selects SOHO for free marketing campaign!

SOHO awarded grant from Westminster Presbyterian Church through their Community Grant Program.
Westminster Presbyterian Church, through its Local Mission Committee, offers grants through its annual grant program to help Northern Virginia charitable organizations. Westminster focuses its local mission efforts around Children, Hunger, Education, Shelter and Self-Sufficiency. Read More

SOHO Awarded Strategic Planning Grant from ACT for Alexandria
ACT for Alexandria has just announced the recipients of its 2012 Capacity Building Grant Awards. Totaling almost $70,000, the grants will strengthen eight local nonprofit organizations serving children, youth and families in Alexandria. These grants invest in… Read More

SOHO Featured in National Education Association Magazine
Soon after seventh-grader Martha Turcios learned that floorcloths were hand-painted canvas floor coverings made by women in Colonial times, she set out to make one of her own. Floorcloths are one of many art projects Martha has taken… Read More

Amy Cable Accepts Alexandria City Public School’s New Partner in Education Award for SOHO

SOHO recognized by The American Independent as an after-school program that adds stability in lives of low-income students
Many after-school programs focus on low-income students who need a safe haven from their poverty-stricken and often chaotic neighborhoods. The troubles that plague these kids can be gritty, and the hours between when a child gets out of school to when the parents come home are called Prime Time for Juvenile Crime for a reason. Read More

SOHO Wins NAACP Community Service Award 

Alice Merrill and Linda Odell named Living Legends of Alexandria
ALEXANDRIA, VA. – Seven years ago, Alice Merrill and Linda Odell began “SOHO: A Space of Her Own,” a partnership between The Art League of Alexandria and the City of Alexandria’s Court Services Unit. Their vision, commitment and collaborative fundraising efforts created an alternative arts program that touches the lives of at-risk… Read More

SOHO selected for Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Bright Ideas program
The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, announced 173 government programs selected for its newly-created Bright Ideas program. In its inaugural year, Bright Ideas is designed to recognize and share creative government initiatives around the country with interested public sector, nonprofit, and academic communities. This year’s cohort of Bright Ideas was chosen by a team of expert evaluators made up of academics, practitioners, and former public servants. Selected from a pool of nearly 600 applicants including smaller-scale pilots, 2010 Bright Ideas address a range of pressing issues including poverty reduction, environmental conservation, and emergency management. Read More

SOHO featured by WELOVEDC
I had the fortunate opportunity to serve as a mentor two years ago and truly can’t encourage your attendance and support enough. Read more

2009

SOHO Semifinalist for President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities Coming Up Taller 
The President’s Committee announces the 50 Coming Up Taller award semifinalists selected from more than 400 applications submitted from across the country. These annual awards focus national attention on outstanding programs across the country that are promote the creativity of America’s young people, providing them learning opportunities and the chance to contribute to their communities. Read More

SOHO featured by Shauna Lee Lange Studios
As a result of a citywide survey of Alexandria’s teens and parents, and community focus groups, it was concluded that at-risk girls would be most successful in avoiding juvenile criminal activity and improving social skills and self-esteem, through engagement in long-term mentoring involving art activities. Consequently, a partnership between the local Court Service Unit and the non-profit Art League was developed and a “Space Of Her Own” was conceived. Read More

Washington Post Article: “Space of Her Own, an Alexandria Mentoring Program, Gives Girls Room Makeovers”
Even before the first coat of paint covered the pocked, discolored walls of the bedroom Tajá Roberts shares with her two sisters, the 11-year-old envisioned the decorating possibilities. Read More

2008

SOHO recognized in The United States Conference of Mayors Best Practices series – Best Practices on At-Risk Youth and High School Dropout Prevention.
This publication examines successful approaches mayors, school superintendents, police chiefs, workforce development professionals and human services officials are implementing across the country to promote high school retention, increase graduation rates, and improve job readiness; as well as successful efforts to proactively prevent gang development and combat gang violence in our cities. Read More 

Alexandria Times Article: Space of Her Own program seeks volunteer mentors
Read More

2005

Washington Post Article: “Using Arts to Craft Higher Self-Esteem”
An Innovative Program In Alexandria Gives Troubled Girls a Chance To Improve Their Lives And Living Quarters. Known as Space of Her Own or SOHO, the program was designed to serve low-income girls considered “at risk” — a term officials use to describe myriad troubles, including delinquency and habitually running away from home. Officials say about half the program’s participants are on court-ordered probation for crimes that include shoplifting and assault. Read More

The Chronicle of Philanthropy Article: “Making Sure Girls Have a Room of Their Own”
Read More