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Help Ashley Bring Love & Grace to Life’s Final Chapter
Ashley has devoted her entire life to helping others from a young age.
At the age of 12, she was volunteering at Hosea Williams Feed the Hungry and the Atlanta Union Mission. At 15, when she could start, she was a Candy Striper for 3 years in high school at Mass General. She also was Head of the United Way and the Battered Women's Shelter for her high school.
During college, she got her EMT certificate and was then a Paramedic for over 12 years, working at Grady Trauma Center in Atlanta for 8 of those years.
She got into the estate sale business 17 years ago to help families with the grief associated with someone dying and the family having to dispose of a whole life of possessions, while grieving.
Fast forward to today, and estate sales are "how much can you get me for a sofa that is cat damaged, with stains on it and the owner says, I paid $8,000, and need you to get me $6,000”. It no longer feels like Ashley is moving towards her "purpose".
After 17 years, she has decided to move in a different direction with her life. After losing her vision in one eye, it is even more important to her to lead of life of purpose and passion, and Ashley's passion is helping people.
It takes a lot to start a new business and with employees already from her estate sale business, she wants to be able to employ them and start the new business. This is where we come in.
She recently applied for an award that would have paid for her to launch a new business, marketing, and it included a trip to California where this marketing company was. Ashley was so excited to apply and was so hopeful. The location couldn’t have been more perfect too, as a company that she would like to job shadow was also in California. It sounded like a perfect award her her, but she did not win. (Attached at the end is her story that was submitted for consideration. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-CeSsH7sEe3NVThduMz7viy6E0bRcGgop98Up39bo20/edit?usp=drivesdk
Why This Fundraiser?
After her loss of business after a year of surgeries and her firefighter husband loss of his overtime several months ago due to budget cuts, we are launching this fundraiser to help her help others. Her goal is to get her certifications, buy the specific business insurance and needs, and start a 501c3 that will assist seniors that are unable to pay for these services on their own and become an End of Life Doula.
- Certification as a Senior and Specialty Move Manager through National Association of Senior and Specialty Move Managers (NASMM) and End of Life Doula at University of Vermont.
- Future Vision: Building a nonprofit rooted in dignity, support, and compassion for those that need it the most at the end of life whether it is aging in place, moving to a nursing facility, or helping to plan their celebration of life.
Why Ashley?
Because she has always shown up for others and not just as a business owner. But as a woman. A volunteer. A public servant. A daughter. A survivor. A friend. And an ally of so many that need voices.
I can assure you that Ashley will never stop helping people. The elderly, the poor, the marginalized, the veterans. Anyone she can fight for that needs a voice, she will be it.
Let's help her voice be echoed.
Whether it is $5 or $20, anything will help us reach our goal to help her recreate this new purpose.
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Submitted April 1, 2025
Submitted by: Ashley Glass, Ashley Glass Estate Sales
Include a bio and what makes you different.
Ashley’s Scholarship Essay
Ashley’s Bio:
Ashley Glass is a 51-year-old entrepreneur, educator, and community advocate who has been in the resale and estate industry for over 25 years. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Ashley founded her estate sale company in 2007 after years of attending estate sales. With a background as a paramedic and a lifelong love of antiques, Ashley brings compassion and deep knowledge to every project.
She is married to a Captain with the Atlanta Fire Department, and their shared commitment to service runs through both their careers. Ashley’s journey took a life-changing turn in 2024 when she suffered permanent vision loss in one eye due to a retinal detachment. That experience deepened her purpose: to help others navigate life’s hardest moments with grace.
She is wanting to launch a new business, Love & Labels. A senior move management company focused on assisting seniors relocate, age in place or help them come up with the best solution for themselves. It would be a company that would assist clear outs after an estate sale or would empty out a home, property, or business if there is not enough for an estate sale.
Ashley continues to lead with heart and will build a mission-driven team. She also believes that tying in a certification as an End of Life Doula, in order to assist with the entire end of life process from moving to asking the very difficult questions at end of life. Her ultimate goal: to start a nonprofit to assist seniors in need of support and care through their last chapter.
My Purpose (Ashley’s words):
At 14 years old, I stood in a forgotten estate sale with my mom and picked up a dusty cardboard box. Inside were 64 handwritten letters from Franklin D. Roosevelt — spanning his journey from Governor to President — letters that would later pay for my college at NYU. That experience shaped my life and opened my eyes to the value — not just monetary, but emotional and historical — that live in people’s families and in their homes.
Families deserve dignity, respect, and expert guidance during some of the most emotional transitions of their lives. After years of working as a paramedic and being married to an Atlanta Fireman, my heart was already with people in crisis — and estate sales became an extension of that mission.
I didn’t just want to run estate sales — I wanted to elevate the industry. I became a founding member of NESA (National Estate Sale Association), advocating for standards like liability and worker’s comp to protect both families and small business employees.
I grew from a two-woman team with my mom to a staff of 21, many of whom have stayed with me for over a decade. We’ve created a family atmosphere where training, trust, and loyalty thrive. I love my team and prioritize their well-being — because they’re the heart of what I do. I consider myself a “Small Business Mother”, since I could not have children.
In 2024, while preparing for another estate sale, I suffered a retinal detachment. That one moment led to five surgeries (6th one will be in August), permanent blindness in my right eye, and a long, painful recovery. During my recovery, I was required to lie face down for 45 minutes out of every hour after every surgery. During this time, I asked myself, “What is my true purpose?” The answer was clear: to help people more. That question reshaped my future and became the seed for my new business, Love & Labels and A Crazy Love Clear Outs.
We help older adults downsize, move with dignity, stage new spaces, clear out clutter, and even plan their end-of-life wishes. We will be a family extension, there to ask the hard questions families don’t want to — ensuring wishes are known, plans are in place, and burdens are eased.
At the core of my work is community. We’ve wrapped over 1,000+ gift bags for Roswell nursing homes, donated thousands of coats and blankets to those living on the streets of Atlanta, and even delivered meals made by local families to the homeless. I take my team to charity events to instill the joy of giving — because giving is contagious.
When people are overwhelmed and grieving, we step in with compassion, organization, and heart. Whether it’s organizing a cluttered basement or gently clearing out a home after a loss of a loved one, we do it with care.
What makes me different? Even after losing vision in one eye, I’ve never lost sight of my purpose. I’ve turned a deeply personal health crisis into an even deeper professional calling. I’ve grown a trusted business, built a loyal team that feels like family, and created new services that solve real, urgent problems for our aging population.
My story began with a $5 box of presidential letters. It continues with every family we help, every senior we will move with grace, every caregiver we support, and every hard conversation we will help facilitate.
I don’t believe in just doing business — I believe in doing good.
That’s what sets us apart.
Here is a link to the classes and certifications that we are wanting to get in order to open the new business: