Leslie Seward

Maumelle woman joins Beyond Boundaries

Leslie Seward stands in her home in Maumelle, where she and her family have lived for almost 12 years. Seward, a former special-education teacher, was hired about a month ago as director of events and marketing for Beyond Boundaries, which uses horses to provide therapy for special-needs children and adults, including Wounded Warriors. The organization also offers speech, occupational and physical therapies. An avid runner, Seward has run five marathons and 11 half-marathons.
Leslie Seward stands in her home in Maumelle, where she and her family have lived for almost 12 years. Seward, a former special-education teacher, was hired about a month ago as director of events and marketing for Beyond Boundaries, which uses horses to provide therapy for special-needs children and adults, including Wounded Warriors. The organization also offers speech, occupational and physical therapies. An avid runner, Seward has run five marathons and 11 half-marathons.

When Leslie Seward was growing up in Bryant, she took riding lessons, but she couldn’t talk her dad into buying her a horse.

Today, she’s director of events and marketing for the nonprofit organization Beyond Boundaries — an organization that’s all about horse therapy.

The Maumelle woman took the position about a month ago, and the horses are kept at the facility in Ward.

“I keep saying, ‘Next week I want to get out there and ride,’ but then when I go out there, I get busy working,” Seward said. “But I love them. One, he’s a palomino, and his name is Comanche. The first time I went out there, he came running up to the fence, and I was petting him; he’s a beautiful horse.”

Beyond Boundaries provides equine-assisted activities at its facility in Ward — as well as occupational, speech and physical therapy — for special-needs children and adults.

Seward, 43, said the organization meshes perfectly with her background as a special-education teacher and a longtime volunteer and president of the Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute auxiliary, where she did fundraising and planned events.

“I’ve just always loved working with kids. Even when I was a teenager, it was just something that was always very rewarding,” she said. “I baby-sat in high school. I kept a boy with Down syndrome, so I feel like taking care of him is what made me want to get into working with children with special needs.”

The Bryant native spent most of her college days at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, but she finished at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia with degrees in elementary education and special education.

After teaching in the Little Rock School District for four years, she spent five years teaching at Pine Haven Elementary School in Bauxite.

Seward’s husband, Ricky, had a job that required him to travel extensively, so he needed to be by a major airport, she said. After looking at several communities, they settled in Maumelle almost 12 years ago.

She said her daughter, Savannah, had “instant best friends in the neighborhood.”

Seward didn’t want to miss out on any more of her daughter’s school activities, so she decided to quit teaching to be a stay-at-home mom and participate in volunteer work.

“I loved it,” she said of teaching. “I stay in touch with some of my students.”

Seward said that a couple of years ago, she attended the wedding of one of her former students. “I was crying, and someone thought I must be an aunt,” she said. The girl’s mother explained that Seward was the girl’s second-grade teacher, so she was like an aunt.

Seward, whose 16-year-old daughter will be a junior this fall at Maumelle High School, said she started going to CARTI meetings when Savannah was 5. Seward said she hasn’t had anyone close to her get cancer.

“My husband actually became real involved in CARTI’s Festival of Trees — the Sugar Plum Ball, which is a daddy-daughter dance. I was interested in learning more about the organization, so I joined the auxiliary and just really enjoyed it and just stuck with it,” she said.

“It’s a great organization, and they do so many good things, and I’ve been part of the allocation committee. It’s just real rewarding after you’ve raised all this money to see where this money needs to go,” she said. For example, money might be allocated to pick someone up at their home to take him to chemotherapy, she said.

Seward was president of the auxiliary for two years, and she’s still part of the group.

Recently, though, she decided she wanted to work part time.

“I had kind of utilized social media to let everybody know I was looking for a position,” she said.

Seward, an avid runner, said a friend she made in the running community said, “Leslie, I think I have a job that’s perfect for you,” pointing to Seward’s work in special education and fundraising.

Jamie Carman-Reagan, program director for Beyond Boundaries, said Seward’s past experience got the organization’s attention.

“She taught special ed, so she has a love for the kids as well,” Carman-Reagan said.

Seward’s focus in the past month has been on Beyond Boundaries’ primary fundraiser, The Mane Event, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Cabot Armory. It includes heavy hors d’oeuvres from various restaurants, live entertainment, and live and silent auctions.

“Right now, I’m trying to obtain sponsorships and donations for the silent auction and live auction,” she said.

She travels, but she also gets to work at home a lot, which is good and bad.

“It’s hard to turn it off. I can call restaurants up until 8 or 9 o’clock at night and ask for donations of specialty food items.”

Although some people have commented that they would hate to have to ask for things, it doesn’t bother Seward one bit.

“Like I told someone, all they can do is say no,” she said with a laugh.

She was on the CARTI auxiliary’s auction committee prior to becoming the president.

“You can’t be afraid to ask people for things. The response I’ve had from everybody in the community has been great,” she said. “Everyone has been more than willing to step up. If a restaurant doesn’t want to provide a dish, they’re all doing gift certificates or baskets. When everyone hears this is an organization that benefits people with disabilities, they’re more than willing to step up and participate.”

Seward said the skills that help her in her job include that she’s highly organized and good with people.

“I don’t think I come across as one of those very intimidating people. I’m relatable, would probably be a good word.”

Seward said she’s approached businesses in Cabot, Ward, Jacksonville, North Little Rock and Little Rock to get donations for the fall fundraiser.

She’ll talk to any group about Beyond Boundaries, too, although at one time, she was afraid of public speaking.

“I could speak in front of a class of 30 second-graders all day long, but it was something that in front of my peers, it intimidated me,” she said. “Now I’m used to it, I’ve done it so many times.

“I’ve become very involved with organizations in Cabot, like the Rotary Club. I spoke with them and met a lot of really nice people interested in being involved,” she said.

Last week, she planned to represent Beyond Boundaries at a Cabot Area Chamber of Commerce ice cream social for chamber members.

“It’s a way to get information out about the organization. I spoke with someone from the area, and they had never heard of it. I have full-color fliers that explain, and I have a big tri-fold sign that has lots of various pictures,” she said.

“I’ve never made ice cream before, and in order for you to compete, you have to make ice cream,” she said.

“I just found out [Tuesday] they usually expect 250 people,” Seward said, laughing. However, another of Seward’s hobbies is cooking, so she said she was looking forward to the challenge.

“Tomorrow, I will experiment and use my family as guinea pigs,” she said.

Seward and her daughter are involved in the American Heart Association, too. Savannah participated in the Sweetheart program when she was a sophomore in high school, Seward said.

“It’s very near and dear to us. I lost my father a couple of years ago to a massive heart attack, and we were very close,” Seward said.

Her father, John Langrell, also lived in Maumelle.

Savannah has been asked to model at a mother-daughter luncheon and to volunteer with the Sweetheart program, Seward said. She also plans to volunteer with her daughter.

“Savannah will have a good testimony when she speaks, and so will I,” Seward said.

Seward said her work with Beyond Boundaries is taking up most of her time, but she is fine with that.

And about those horses — Seward sent a picture of the palomino to an artist in Louisiana who has created work for her before, and the woman painted a whimsical picture of Comanche that arrived last week.

Seward plans to hang the painting in her home to enjoy, but she plans to take a ride on a real horse soon.

Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.

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