Easterseals to name Fleetwood Arkansan of the Year at ’22 gala
Rick Fleetwood loves Easterseals Arkansas.
He has been involved with the nonprofit for 30 years. As a board member, Fleetwood has served in just about every capacity possible — president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, at-large member — and also had a seat on Easterseals’ national board. The walls of his west Little Rock condo are covered with colorful paintings by Arkansas artists that he has bought at Easterseals auctions.
That vibrant art matches the energy and enthusiasm of the friendly, 73-year-old Fleetwood, who is sharply dressed in a bespoke threepiece suit and brown leather shoes on an August morning.
Speaking in his living room about his passion for Easterseals, Fleetwood says it’s the nonprofit’s wide reach and impact that appeal to him most.
“Easterseals’ mission is to serve
men, women and children. They really paint a broad picture in making a difference in the community of people with disabilities. You’re not leaving anyone out. You can make a difference for people with not just one type of disability or special needs.”
Fleetwood has been named Arkansan of the Year by Easterseals Arkansas and will be celebrated Feb. 2 with a fundraising gala at the Little Rock Marriott.
Tiffany Robinson is a longtime friend of Fleetwood’s and has been an Easterseals board member for about 10 years. She and her husband, Daniel, are co-chairing the Feb. 2 event.
“Rick was a very welcome face to see in the boardroom,” she says. “He has always been the nicest, most welcoming, best kind of friend you could ask for.
“He has been such an advocate for Easterseals. He’s really dedicated so much time and energy to this cause. It’s really inspiring.”
She calls Fleetwood the “perfect choice” for Arkansan of the Year.
“He’s done more than almost anyone I can think of to further the mission and serve the clients. He loves Easterseals kids so much. He’s such a bright spot and wants to see them happy.”
Easterseals Arkansas has its roots in the Arkansas Association for the Crippled, which was founded by Virginia Armistead in 1944. Two years later, Easterseals opened Arkansas’ first inpatient space for children at a barracks at Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville for those recovering from polio and other conditions, according to the Easterseals Arkansas website.
Easterseals started the first speech therapy program in the state, and a mobile unit provided physical, occupational and speech therapy to school districts statewide. In 1957, it created Arkansas’ first work program for adults with disabilities.
Today, Easterseals Arkansas has five Little Rock locations and one in Stuttgart and serves 20,000 clients a year, according to the website.
Fleetwood grew up in Monette in Craighead County and attended the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, majoring in social studies and public administration.
“Five of the best years of my life,” he says with a smile.
He spent four years in the Air Force before joining Little Rock-based Snell Prosthetic & Orthotic Laboratory as general manager in 1975. He was its chief executive officer, chief operating officer and chief financial officer before retiring two years ago.
Fleetwood is no stranger to public service. Besides his Easterseals duties, he has served on the boards of United Cerebral Palsy of Arkansas, CARTI and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Gala and has won National Rehabilitation Meritorious Service Awards, the Willie Oates Volunteer
Service Award, the Governor’s Commission Service Award and others.
“I’ve been blessed to be honored by so many wonderful organizations,” he says.
He has also passed along his passion for volunteer work. His granddaughter, Abigail Davis, volunteers for the American Heart Association and was its 2019 Youth Advocate of the Year.
The continuing spread of the coronavirus has moved the Arkansan of the Year fundraiser first from a date in the spring, then to November 2021 and now to February 2022.
“It’s one of the largest fundraisers Easterseals does each year,” Robinson says. “We really want to be able to do it in person. Rick is such an outgoing person and feeds off the energy in the room. We have hopes that we will all be able to get together and celebrate Rick in person.”
Fleetwood wants the event, which he is calling his “swan song,” to raise a healthy amount for Easterseals Arkansas.
“It’s an awesome responsibility and it scares you,” he says. “It’s not just ‘let’s have a good time,’ it’s ‘let’s have a good time and do some good.’ If I don’t succeed, it’s not me that will be hurt but the men, women and children that we serve. I want to leave it better and keep raising that bar.”
“He’s done more than almost anyone I can think of to further the mission and serve the clients. He loves Easterseals kids so much. He’s such a bright spot and wants to see them happy.”
— Tiffany Robinson on Rick Fleetwood