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Stories of Impact: Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center

By Susan Adams

One of our 2023 nonprofit partners, Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center (CSHC), received $70,000 to maximize the reach of their community programs and serve more patients. CSHC helps ensure access to high-quality speech-language therapy services for individuals, families, and schools. Hearing is critical for children to learn to read and stay up to grade level. CSHC served 521 children, of whom over 70% demonstrated significant delays. After the program, 84% of the children met or exceeded outcomes.

One young toddler in The Learning Collaborative classroom failed the Developmental Assessment of Young Children (DAYC) screening at the beginning of the school year. He was using aggressive behavior and outbursts of crying to get his needs met. He could not say many words and mainly uttered frustrated sounds. CSHC began intensive speech and language therapy services twice per week, including the Sound Beginnings program in his classroom weekly. After seeing her son’s success, his mother was eager to learn new strategies to help him better communicate at home. The staff then helped his mother complete the Sound Beginnings Parent Training Program. The child now uses entire phrases and words to express his desires with a dramatic decline in physical behavior and crying outbursts. The whole family has benefited from this intensive intervention and therapy. 

On March 23, 2024, Charlotte Speech and Hearing is hosting a Communication Matters 5k Walk/ Race Event. This family-friendly event will raise critical funds to provide access to superior speech-language and hearing services that empower and transform lives. A special thank you, to Karen Gunther for captaining a Women’s Impact Fund team.  We would love to have you join the team! Sign up here.

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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.