Ashley Opliger is the President and Executive Director of Bridget’s Cradles 501c3 nonprofit in Wichita, Kansas. Her daughter, Bridget, was stillborn at 24 weeks gestation in 2014. Ashley’s mother had knit a cradle that allowed her family to hold Bridget on the day she was born. After realizing there was a need for hospitals and bereaved families to have a dignified way to hold tiny babies born into Heaven, Ashley left her career as a Speech-Language Pathologist and started the nonprofit in her daughter’s empty nursery. 

Under Ashley’s leadership, Bridget’s Cradles has grown in seven years from first donating cradles to their local hospital to now serving over 1,250 hospitals in all 50 states. From their headquarters in Kechi, Bridget’s Cradles comforts over 26,000 bereaved families each year. Ashley’s vision is to one day provide cradles, support, and the hope of the Gospel to every family who loses a baby.

Ashley leads Hope Gatherings, monthly Christ-centered support groups in Kansas and online for women throughout the country. She also organizes the Wave of Light, an annual event on October 15th, Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day, that impacts hundreds of grieving families. Ashley regularly speaks at women’s Bible studies, bereavement and nursing conferences, and makes appearances on local news stations and nationwide faith-based podcasts. She is also the host of the award-winning podcast, Cradled in Hope, that releases biweekly Gospel-focused episodes for grieving parents.