OL Reign Legend: Ellen Young – Founder and former Executive Director of F-factor and Chair of the Ruby Room Board

The Legends Campaign, a partnership between OL Reign and Starbucks, honors women for their extraordinary contributions to our community in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Prior to OL Reign’s match against Portland Thorns FC on August 6, OL Reign recognized Ellen Young, Founder and former Executive Director of F-factor and Chair of the Ruby Room Board.  

Young has led the F-factor since 2008 and successfully merged F-factor and Ruby Room in 2016, bringing together two organizations with a shared mission of empowering youth through fashion.  

Passionate about serving others, especially children, Young has been a leader and visionary behind Ruby Room. With her direction and support, the organization has reached hundreds of kids each year, with the goal of instilling confidence and a powerful sense of self in children and teenagers with diverse backgrounds in the state of Washington. 

Young also led the expansion of programs to include provisions of he/him formal attire, a Quinceanera dress program and a cosmetics bar for clients. As a difference maker in the community, Young was awarded The Mother Ryther Home Award by Ryther Child Center in Seattle for meeting the needs and giving inspiration to children in foster care in 2019 and was named 425’s Citizen of the Year this year. 

She began her journey into empowering youth through fashion by seeking a way to mix her passion and purpose, resulting in a path that wasn’t always convenient, but was always worth following. 

"I didn't set myself out to be a leader or an executive director or a chair of a board,” Young laughed. “But I did set myself out to accomplish the things I felt so strongly about in my heart, which was to serve the community.” 

As a former hairstylist, Young was very aware of the power that a transformation held for people and wanted to provide that transformative experience to help youth in under-served communities gain confidence and feel comfortable being themselves on a daily basis. 

“I don't think fashion in the sense of Ruby room is of anything about vanity or couture. Fashion is essential, and it can really change your day. If you wake up and you feel comfortable in the garments you have access to, it can help you tackle the day,” said Young. 

She continued, “The kids that we work with can be highly sensitive to their environment or highly sensitive to how people perceive them. As soon as they start to be able to exude confidence, they have a little smile on their face and a little bit more energy to get through the day and not feel like their self-worth has been challenged.” 

Through her work over the years, the accomplishment that Young is most proud of is simply the youth that she gets to work with. 

"I feel lucky to be in a room with them and to be a trusted adult and resource for these kids. I'm really honored to be a steward of the generosity of our community.” 

As a leader in the community, Young was able to offer some advice to those pursuing a goal or career, especially in a field where they might be under-represented. 

"There's so much good advice out there, but mine would be to find your purpose and start from there because when it's difficult, you really have to rely on the reason that you're there. Sometimes it’s going to feel like you’re completely alone, especially in leadership. If you don’t find your purpose and something you’re passionate about, you won’t be able to rely on one of the two to get you through the ups and downs,” said Young. 

Part of what makes being honored as an OL Reign Legend so special for Young is the overlapping values she shares with the Reign. 

“I'm kind of like on cloud nine to be honored as a Legend. The club itself represents so much in our community and the values that the club very strongly aligned with mine. So, it's really an honor to be recognized by an organization that I think is representative of the diversity in our society. I’m so excited and think that this might be one of my greatest accomplishments.” 

Young encourages everyone to consider how they might be able to get involved with their community. For those who would specifically like to get involved with Ruby Room, they are able to visit Ruby Room’s website and sign up for the posted volunteer hours. There are opportunities ranging from the fundraising side of things to the fashion side of things.  

She also concluded with a shoutout to those that have supported her through her journey to becoming the leader she is today. 

“A huge shoutout to family, who have always been supportive of me. There's no way I could do it without them. I also want to thank our landlords as they've been really supportive in helping us maintain the location there to operate our programs out of and serve the community and Thrive Cosmetics, who provides thousands of dollars in kind makeup and skin care for all of our clients. Brides for a Cause has also been really supportive of Ruby Room. Lastly, I just want to thank all the volunteers that help us to empower the youth in our community.”