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Stories of Impact: Hope Haven

This Story of Impact highlights Hope Haven, a Women’s Impact Fund grantee. Hope Haven’s is a therapeutic community the provides a foundation of recovery for individuals and families impacted by substance abuse disorder and so they can build healthy, independent lives.

What does it mean for a woman to lose everything—not just to hit bottom, but to slip beneath it? To wake up in a place you never imagined you’d be, look at your life, and realize you must rebuild all of it—your relationships, your stability, your dignity?

During Women’s History Month, we honor the women who rewrite their stories. And few embody that courage more powerfully than Barbara, a Hope Haven graduate whose journey began the morning she woke up in a crack house and whispered a plea for help. 

When Barbara arrived at Hope Haven, she had nothing left. Addiction had stripped her life to its foundations — she had lost her job, her home, her confidence, and even her children. Years of struggle had taken a physical toll as well: Barbara arrived with only four teeth, a visible reminder of just how deeply addiction had eroded her health. 

But what makes Barbara’s story remarkable is not what she lost, but what she rebuilt. Step by step, through work and perseverance, she literally bought back her smile.

She regained her driver’s license, became a supervisor at the hospital, and purchased her own car.

And beyond these milestones, Barbara rebuilt the parts of her life she once feared were gone forever. She is now an active, present part of her children’s lives and her grandchildren’s lives — helping rewrite the family story, not just her own. 

Today, Barbara is a homeowner, celebrating 10 years sober, and living a life she once thought impossible. “People want to know why I smile all the time,” she says.“It’s because I’ve got something to smile for!” 

As Hope Haven celebrates 50 years of service, we’re grateful to the Women’s Impact Fund for helping pave the way for the next generation of women to rewrite their stories.

You can see more stories of impact from Hope Haven in this video:

To learn more about the work of Hope Haven visit their website at www.hopehaveninc.org.

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Janet LaBar

Executive Director​
jlabar@womensimpactfund.org

With more than 25 years of experience, Janet has a proven track record of leading organizations and teams in developing strategies that foster thriving communities. Her career is dedicated to the well-being of the places she serves, and the people and businesses within them, positioning her as a trusted sounding board, critical thinker, and purposeful protagonist across corporate, government, education, entrepreneurial, and civic spheres.
Janet joined Women’s Impact Fund in June 2025 to guide one of Charlotte’s most respected, women-led philanthropic organizations into its next phase of growth and impact. In partnership with the Women’s Impact Fund team, Board, Advisors, members, volunteers, and key community partners, she will continue strengthening communities by maximizing women’s leadership in philanthropy through collective giving, education, and engagement.
Inspired by her family, teams who dare greatly, and people and communities striving to be their best selves, Janet’s impactful career includes leadership roles as President and CEO of Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, President and CEO of Greater Portland Inc, and Chief Performance Officer of Greater Phoenix Economic Council. As a first-generation Filipino American, her lived experience deeply informs her professional drive to create equitable economic growth and opportunity in the metro areas she’s served.
She holds a BA in Communication Arts from the University of West Florida and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Phoenix. Janet and her husband James are proud parents to an older daughter, and a daughter and son who are twins.