Photographs by William Taufic.
As a teacher, Jane Carlin has made a career of making a difference. During ten years at Sacred Heart University, she received the Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award twice. Before that, at Greenwich High School, Jane was honored as Connecticut Teacher of the Year runner-up. To her students, Jane is teacher, mentor and friend, but it is the title of the class she currently teaches at Southern Connecticut State University, Inspired Activism: The Power of One, that reflects the rest of the work Jane does.
For several decades, including six years as president, the Stamford resident has served on the board of The Domestic Violence Crisis Center in Stamford. For the past twelve years, she has been on the board of Project Return in Westport.
“It’s an incredible residence for seven young women, who arrive at the doorstep and live in a home where there is unconditional love and mutual respect,” explains Jane. “It really simulates family; it’s not an institution. It’s a place where young women can heal and recapture their lives.” Jane’s voice wavers. “I’m getting emotional just thinking about some of the struggles these girls have, and how they wind up on the other side as such strong women. They go on to college. They have families and great careers. Something happens at Project Return that is life-changing.”
In contemplating what drew her to these organizations, Jane explains, “When it comes to domestic violence and sexual assault, people are quick to blame the victim. They are not issues that people race to support financially. As a feminist, I believe that women need as many paths to equality as possible.”
Jane notes that her husband, Ben Gifford, is her “biggest fan. We talk about the issues and get excited about the potential for helping in any way we can.” Laura Bard, a staff member at Project Return, states, “Jane and her husband have consistently set an extraordinary example as major donors, but equally important has been Jane’s passionate voice for women.”
Jane spends the summer in Nantucket, but her focus is not sunbathing. Jane is vice president of A Safe Place in Nantucket, which provides free services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault; and she is also a member of the Nantucket Atheneum ESL staff.