Hi! I’m Leisha Lopresti, a speech-language pathologist, founder of Giving Beyond Words, and a proud Brunswick County native.
I was born and raised in Brunswick County before moving to Norfolk to attend college. My husband and I spent the next 12 years in Hampton Roads, where we built our careers, welcomed our two children, and experienced the joy of raising young kids in a community filled with places to gather, play, and connect with friends.
When our children were four and two, we made the decision to move back home. While we appreciated the many opportunities that came with city life, it was even more important to us that our children grow up surrounded by grandparents, cousins, lifelong friends, and the community that helped shape us.
As a speech-language pathologist, I’ve spent my career watching children learn, communicate, and grow through play. My love for literacy and connection began much earlier, inspired by countless hours spent reading with my grandmother—memories that continue to shape who I am today.
Those experiences led me to create Giving Beyond Words, a nonprofit whose mission is “Giving the gift of love and connection through reading and play.” What began with sharing books and creating opportunities for connection has grown into a much bigger vision.
Beyond Play is the next chapter of that dream.
It is the place I’ve always wished existed for my own children and for the families in our community—a welcoming space where children can safely play, imagine, explore, and discover while parents, grandparents, and caregivers build friendships, encourage one another, and find their village.
Today, those little children who inspired this dream are now 16 and 14. They have grown up hearing about Beyond Play and have watched the vision evolve over the years. They are just as excited as I am to help bring it to life and can’t wait to become two of Beyond Play’s very first employees. Watching them invest in this dream alongside me has been one of the greatest joys of the journey.
My hope is that Beyond Play becomes more than a place to visit. I hope it becomes a place where children create lifelong memories, families build lasting friendships, and our community comes together.
Because I believe every child deserves a place to play, every family deserves a place to connect, and every community deserves a place to belong.
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