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From Home Furnishing Business
Ashley's Angels Raise $170,000 for Children in Four States
December 19,
2024 by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry 
Ashley’s Angels, an all-volunteer non-profit organization, continued its annual tradition of bringing joy to children in need over the holiday season. This year, Ashley’s Angels raised $170,000 to support 974 children from 311 families across the communities surrounding Ashley facilities in four states including: Mississippi, North Carolina, Florida and Wisconsin.
Each year in late fall, volunteers join Ashley’s Angels for shopping days to pick out apparel, essential items, toys and more, filling a gift bag that is loaded onto an Ashley truck to gift to the selected children. Once shopping is complete, the organization, along with special guest Santa, hauls the loaded trucks to each of the participating schools, delivering gifts to children and their families.
One hundred percent of the funds raised through the organization are used to provide gifts and a holiday meal for children and families who need it most. Throughout the year, Ashley’s Angels hosted a variety of fundraisers including a bass fishing tournament, car show, ice cream social, motorcycle ride, along with employee contributions made through Ashley’s Dollar a Week program.
“As we reflect on the year, we are so grateful to make holiday wishes come true for so many children and their families across our local community,” stated Betsy Ottman, Board Member, Ashley’s Angels of Florida. “Our hearts are especially full as we had the unique opportunity to partner with Hope to Dream this year to provide beds to children who lost so much during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Knowing that we are bringing some extra holiday magic and leaving a lasting impact for years to come makes every hour of hard work worth it.”
Ashley’s Angels was established by an Ashley truck driver from Mississippi in 1997 after he heard about a girl who was living in a car with her mother. The Ashley driver recruited help from fellow drivers to provide food, clothing, and additional assistance by helping the family find proper housing before Christmas. Seeing the impact their efforts made on this family’s life encouraged those involved to form Ashley’s Angels.
For over 25 years, Ashley’s Angels has partnered with local schools and churches to identify local families in need of extra assistance. The organization has generated over $4,000,000 in donations and benefited more than 20,000 children in Florida, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina since inception.