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A Day Inside The Arc Caddo-Bossier: Work, Horses, and the Power of Belonging

Published: Monday September 29, 2025

Before the luncheon, The Arc Caddo-Bossier gave me a full tour of their programs—and it changed the way I’ll talk about this work moving forward.

alycia and marty touring frost industries laundry facility by demetrio
alycia and marty touring frost industries package assemblies with demetrio and badreka
alycia and marty touring frost industries learning facility
alycia touring frost industries meeting participants
alycia and marty touring frost industries in the arts and crafts area
alycia and marty touring frost industries with anjuan
alycia touring frost industries laundry facility with workers
deidre alycia and marty touring frost industries learning areas
alycia touring frost industries speaking to the hed of art and crafts
alycia and marty touring frost industries speaking with megan a young lady who also uses a wheelchair
alycia and marty touring frost industries day learning program
alycia touring frost industries with demetrio and jennifer
marty with a participant in the frost industries programs
marty touring frost industries with demetrio and participants
alycia with participants of frost industries day programs

Frost Industries:
 At Frost, I watched people learning skills, earning paychecks, and building confidence through meaningful work. You can feel the pride on the floor—steady hands, focused faces, teammates looking out for each other. Employment isn’t just about income; it’s identity, independence, and community. The partnerships The Arc has built here translate inclusion from an idea into a workflow. That’s where culture shifts—on the line, at the table, right in the middle of a workday.

marty at the arcs great equestrian arena
alycia with caroline and diedre insidethe equipment room at the arcs great program with horse sadles and other gear
marty and alycia in a pasture with a pony at the arcs great program
marty and alycia touring the great program with demtrio and caroline
alycia watching a participant riding a horse guided by great program staff
marty alycia and carline in the equipment room together at the great program equestrian center
alycia meeting woody the horse at the great program
alycia and marty with woody the horse and staff at the great program
marty meeting woody the horse at the great program
alycia with woody
alycia marty caroline and staff with woody
marty and alycia with a pasture and ponies behind them
alycia looking at the horse arena
marty alycia and caroline looking into a horse stall at the great program

The GREAT Program (Equine Experience):
 Then we headed to the arena for The Arc’s equine-assisted services. The rhythm changes as soon as you hear hooves in the sand. Riders meet their horses with a mix of excitement and calm; volunteers step in as side-walkers and leaders; therapists guide with care. I watched posture lift, voices steady, and smiles stretch across faces. It’s therapy, yes—but it’s also relationship, strength-building, and joy. Accessibility looks like ramps and captions, but it also looks like reins in your hands and wind on your face.

Learning the Full Scope of Services:
 Over conversations throughout the day, I learned even more about the services that keep this community strong—from the Goldman Schools to Community Homes, the Respite Center, and so much more. The Arc’s continuum of care is comprehensive and so clearly built with love, dignity, and possibility at the center.

Sharing Space, Sharing Life:
 One of my favorite parts of the day was simply being with Arc participants—mingling as they moved through self-defense classes, welcoming us into their mess hall and craft rooms, and letting us be part of community time. Thank you for sharing your space, your routines, and your joy with us. That kind of everyday inclusion is everything.

Hearts Full, Stomachs Happy:
 We carved out a moment to refuel at Ki Mexico with Deidre, Badreka, Casey, and Demetrio—swapping stories, swapping salsa tips, and deepening our understanding of what inclusion looks like in everyday life. Sometimes community is best measured in shared tables and open conversations.

Gratitude Roll (because none of this happens alone)

  • Deidre McVay-Schulmeister, Director of Donor and Community Engagement—thank you for requesting the booking and being an absolute supreme host from start to finish. Your special touches—greeting us at the hotel with welcoming gifts, anticipating needs I didn’t even know I had, and the care you poured into every detail—made us feel profoundly seen and welcome.
  • Badreka Harper, Administrative Operations Manager—thank you for guiding us through the booking process and for spending time with us throughout our Frost Industries tour. Your calm coordination and presence grounded the day.
  • Casey Jones, Director of Marketing and Communications—thank you for taking time to share lunch and escort us to the KTAL news interview. Your storytelling mindset and hospitality elevated the message beyond the room.
  • Demetrio Botello, Director of Employment Division—our hero of the day. When the rental car reservation fell through, you jumped in as our personal chauffeur and got us everywhere we needed to be. You made the experience richer with your two decades of knowledge at The Arc, local expertise, and your infectious positive attitude. You didn’t just save the day—you brightened it.
  • Caroline Hendrix, who leads the GREAT Program—thank you for showing us around the horses and giving us a front-row view of the magic you and your team create. Your expertise and kindness animate the arena and every rider who enters it.
  • Kristen Powers, Executive Director—and the entire Board of Directors—thank you for the vision and leadership that make all of this possible. Your commitment shows up in every program, every hallway, every smile.
  • A special thank-you to Arc participants David R. and Wayne J. for the hand-painted coffee mugs you made for Marty and me. We’ll cherish them—and the memory of our time in Louisiana—forever.

Walking through these spaces, I was reminded that inclusion is holistic. It’s employment pathways and recreational therapy. It’s transportation logistics, volunteer training, family support, and community partnerships that make opportunity sustainable. None of it is accidental; all of it is the result of daily, dedicated effort.

I left the tours with a deeper conviction: programs like Frost and GREAT don’t live on the margins of community life—they are community life. They prove what’s possible when we invest in people and design for everyone’s participation from the start.

Want to help? Support The Arc Caddo-Bossier—donate, volunteer, hire, or partner. Inclusion grows fastest when we all put our hands on the work.