March 1, 2026

By Paula Cornell

Photographs by Ryan Lavine

In 1979, a group of women brought pagers to Sharon Hospital, asking staff to call if they found anyone experiencing abuse who needed a safe place to go. 

That volunteer effort, known then as Women’s Emergency Services, would grow into what is now Project SAGE––a nonprofit providing support, shelter, and advocacy to those facing domestic violence in the region, for over four decades. 

“This passionate, feisty, intelligent, roll-up-your-sleeves group of women in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut got together and were like, ‘We want to do something about this,’” says Project SAGE’s executive director, Kristen van Ginhoven. 

As the work expanded, the name changed to reflect a wider range of services. Project SAGE stands for Support, Advocate, Guide, and Educate—and is a reference and compliment to their clients’ wisdom. 

When the board sat down to brainstorm how to fundraise in 2001, a 26-year-old board member named Naomi Blumenthal suggested doing a plant sale. Blumenthal worked as the head gardener for designer Bunny Williams at the time. 

Williams loved the idea and turned it into something much bigger: Trade Secrets. 

Every year, in May, Trade Secrets offers garden tours and a massive sale of rare plants and garden antiques to some 4,000 attendees, providing about a third of Project SAGE’s annual budget. 

At the second Trade Secrets event, a woman approached Williams and told her she’d called Project SAGE within the past year. 

“She said, ‘I can’t thank you enough for holding this event so I could know about the program,’” recalls Williams. “I realized how important it was to grow the event, and to help what is now Project SAGE become a reality, because domestic violence can affect anybody.”

National statistics from the Centers for Disease Control underscore that fact: One in three women and one in four men report severe physical violence during their lifetime. Litchfield County is no exception. 

When a client walks in their door or calls on the phone, Project SAGE staff help assess their most pressing need and develop a safety plan. That plan could be as basic as a client feeling validated about their experience; but it can also be a longer-term process involving decisions to stay or leave, custody of children and pets, legal issues, financial setbacks, mental health, support systems, and more. 

Project SAGE offers support for every client decision, connecting clients to whatever resources they may need.

Director of client services Virginia Gold has been with Project SAGE for nearly nine years, working with clients through both setbacks and victories over time.

“I am privileged to be invited into people’s lives at some of their hardest moments, and then to see some of their most successful moments as well,” she says.

Annually, Project SAGE responds to over 1,900 hotline calls, provides over 1,400 nights of emergency shelter, and offers counseling and other direct services to over 800 people––work that reflects the support of an entire community backing them over the decades.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call Project SAGE’s 24 hour confidential hotline at 860-364-1900.
—project-sage.org