Member Login
Join
Donate
Member Login
Join
Donate

Stories of Impact: Charlotte Bilingual Learning Center

by Angy Gomez, Family Educator at Charlotte Bilingual Learning Center

This Story of Impact highlights Charlotte Bilingual Learning Center, a Women’s Impact Fund grantee. Since their founding in 1999, Charlotte Bilingual Learning Center has been dedicated to empowering young children and their families through high-quality bilingual education.

When Angy first walked through the doors of Charlotte Bilingual Learning Center (CBLC), she was looking for clothes for her young daughter. She never imagined that a simple visit would change the trajectory of three generations of her family.

After circumstances forced her family to flee their homeland, Angy arrived in the United States grieving the loss of her daughter’s father and rebuilding her life in an unfamiliar country without speaking English.

At CBLC, she found more than resources; she found opportunity.

Through CBLC’s Workforce Development program, Angy received a scholarship to study at Central Piedmont Community College, earned her North Carolina Early Childhood Credentials, became an apprentice teacher, and received support validating her bachelor’s degree in psychology.

Today, Angy serves as a Family Educator at CBLC, helping families navigate many of the same fears and uncertainties she once experienced.

Her journey has also come full circle. Angy’s mother now participates in CBLC’s Home-Based Childcare program, while her daughter, Alexa, is beginning her educational journey in a CBLC preschool classroom.

“Nothing I had lived through, learned, or built before had been in vain,” Angy shares. “My education had value. My experience had value. My story had value. And I had value, too.”

This Hispanic Heritage Month and back-to-school season, Angy’s family reminds us of what is possible when education, opportunity, and belonging come together.

Three generations. Three new beginnings. One community and a future filled with possibility.

To learn more about Charlotte Bilingual Learning Center, please visit their website: https://charlottebilingual.org

Return to Blog
Scroll to Top

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.