At Bridget’s Cradles, our team is more than staff and volunteers, boards and councils—we are a family connected by our compassion for grieving families. Meet the people whose hearts and hands make our sacred work possible.
Faithful Hands. Tender Hearts. United by a Calling.
Called to Comfort Others
Our Team
Serving in memory of Bridget Faith Opliger | October 22, 2014
Ashley is the founder and executive director of Bridget’s Cradles. After losing her daughter Bridget at 24 weeks, she left her career as a speech-language pathologist and began the ministry from her daughter’s empty nursery. Read the Bridget's Cradles' story here.
Ashley is the author of Cradled in Hope, hosts the Cradled in Hope podcast, and leads support groups for grieving moms. She is a follower of Jesus, wife to Matt, and mom to three children—a daughter in Heaven and two sons on earth.
Ministry and motherhood keep Ashley busy, but in her spare time, she enjoys making memories with family and friends, walking outside, lifting weights, and traveling. After her boys go to bed, if she’s not doing the dishes or spending time with Matt, she can be found stargazing in their hot tub, playing electric drums, journaling, studying the Bible, or reading Christian nonfiction books.
Founder & Executive Director
Ashley Opliger
Amanda lives with her husband, Paul, and their twin daughters in Atlanta. Though they now call Georgia home, Amanda regularly travels to Wichita to serve at Bridget’s Cradles headquarters.
With a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Amanda has always felt a calling to help children and families both near and far. In her role at Bridget’s Cradles, she is deeply committed to sharing Christ’s love and the hope of Heaven with grieving families.
Serving to honor all babies in Heaven
Director of MarKETing & Communications
Amanda Farris
Serving in memory of Jack Monroe Siegrist | October 6, 2014
Casey is married to Jake and they have three children: Olivia, Jack, and Harper, and also share their home with a fetch-loving Yorkie named Hines.
Casey and Jake’s second child, Jack Monroe, was stillborn on October 6, 2014 at 30 weeks.
She has a passion for serving bereaved families and will continue to follow the calling God has placed on her life through her work with Bridget’s Cradles, in memory of her son, Jack Monroe. Casey has been involved with the ministry since it was founded and is active in its daily operations.
Casey enjoys spending time with family and friends, and watching her girls participate in many different sports and activities.
Director of Operations
Casey Siegrist
Serving to honor all babies in Heaven
Dr. Melissa Hague, MD, is an OB/GYN, author, speaker, wife, and mother of two daughters. In addition to caring for women throughout pregnancy and childbirth, she performs gynecologic surgery and leads a specialty clinic focused on women's sexual health.
Dr. Hague is passionate about providing compassionate, patient-centered care and is honored to serve families who have experienced the loss of a child as Medical Advisor for Bridget’s Cradles.
medical advisor
Melissa Hague, MD, FACOG, IF
Bridget's Cradles is a nonprofit incorporated in the state of Kansas and tax-exempt under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3). Bridget's Cradles is overseen by a Board of Directors as well as by legal and financial counsel.
Hayden Antes
Treasurer
Denny Bender
Vice President
Matt Opliger
President
Our Board
Jake Siegrist
Board member
Casey Siegrist
secretary
Amanda Green
Board Member
Proverbs 15:22
Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.
WICHITA, KANSAS
Jane Knight
The Advisory Council supports Bridget's Cradles by assisting the Board of Directors and Executive Director with strategic planning. Their goal is to enhance programs and resources for hospitals and grieving families nationwide. We are thankful for these dedicated individuals in Wichita who share their wisdom to support our mission.
Our Advisory Council
One Hundred Roses, Women’s Giving Circle of Wichita
Debbie Ochs
community volunteer
FoundeR
WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
Corey Saleh
director of development
Spencer Fane
Kendra Stacey
llp, attorney
The Converse team
Dan Topping
financial advisor
Our Medical Advisor provides volunteer medical guidance to help ensure Bridget’s Cradles programs and educational resources are accurate, compassionate, and aligned with current best practices related to pregnancy and infant loss. This role offers valuable insight as we develop new initiatives and serve grieving families and healthcare providers.
Melissa Hague, MD, FACOG, IF
MEDICAL ADVISOR
Our Medical Advisor
Serving to honor all babies in Heaven
Dr. Melissa Hague, MD, is an OB/GYN, author, speaker, wife, and mother of two daughters. In addition to caring for women throughout pregnancy and childbirth, she performs gynecologic surgery and leads a specialty clinic focused on women's sexual health.
Dr. Hague is passionate about providing compassionate, patient-centered care and is honored to serve families who have experienced the loss of a child as Medical Advisor for Bridget’s Cradles.
medical advisor
Melissa Hague, MD, FACOG, IF
We are grateful for our dedicated team, which includes an administrative assistant, development coordinator, and a program assistant who support our day-to-day operations and mission work. Their passion and commitment allow us to serve grieving families with care and excellence while expanding our impact.
Our Staff
Kelcey Crone
administrative
assistant
Kylee Eden
program
assistant
Mikaydon Thomas
program
assistant
Working in memory of her son, David Bruce Crone | April 10, 2020
Kelcey serves with a compassionate heart, offering her time and gifts in memory of her precious son, David, who was born into Heaven in 2020. She deeply cherishes her time working at Bridget’s Cradles, seeing it as sacred time she would have spent with David here on earth. In this way, her work is an offering of love—a way to honor his life through helping others.
Kelcey treasures time spent with her husband, Jon, and four living children, delights in planting flowers, taking care of her houseplants, and enjoys the rare quiet moments when she can watch the birds at her feeders. She has a deep love for studying the Bible and growing in God’s Word, allowing His truth to shape her heart and guide her steps. Her compassion, humility, and faith beautifully reflect the heart of Christ.
Administrative assistant
Kelcey Crone
Serving in memory of Junie Bea | September 4, 2025
Kylee serves in honor of her daughter Junie Bea, who was born into Heaven on September 4, 2025. She hopes to bring comfort to many families who have experienced the same pain and grief that both she and her husband have.
Kylee has been married to her husband, Kendall Eden, since 2020. Kendall is a youth pastor at a local church, and they love serving together in the youth ministry. When not serving or working, they enjoy being outdoors and hiking with their two dogs. At home, Kylee enjoys finding a good book to read or working on her latest scrapbook page. Through the experience of losing Junie, Kylee has enjoyed diving deeper into the Word to grow a stronger and deeper relationship with Christ. She enjoys writing in her prayer journal and meditating on God's words, using that time to reflect on who Christ is. She hopes to shine the light back to Christ and bring glory to His name.
Program Assistant
Kylee Eden
Serving in memory of Abundynce Faith and Joyana Reign Thomas
Mikaydon has been involved with Bridget’s Cradles ever since her family received a sweet cradle in which to hold her precious little sister, Abundynce Faith, who was born into Heaven in March of 2015. Just a few months later, Mikaydon had the honor of personally crocheting a similar cradle for her second sister born into Heaven, Joyana Reign. Since that time, Mikaydon has been crocheting cradles, serving at volunteer work nights and spreading the word about Bridget’s Cradles, and she is now so excited to have the opportunity to serve on the Bridget’s Cradles team.
Mikaydon graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from California Baptist University in Graphic Design and Digital Media, and she loves to use her creative gifts to serve ministries with the mission of spreading the love of Jesus and the truth of His Word. In 2025, Mikaydon was blessed to attend the one-year program at Jackson Hole Bible College where she made lifelong friends, explored God’s creation in a whole new way and deepened her walk with her Heavenly Father. In her free time, Mikaydon enjoys meeting friends at cozy coffee shops, spending time with her family, playing volleyball, swing dancing, loving on her cats, playing piano, and watching sunsets. Mikaydon hopes to serve grieving families well in her role at Bridget’s Cradles and continue growing in her love for the Lord and making His love known to others.
Program Assistant
Mikaydon Thomas
Admin & Operations Volunteers
Judy Eskridge
operations
volunteer
Maria Childs
podcast
graphic designer
Edith Boyle
podcast
transcriber
Heather Cohen
facebook
group host