15-05-2025
Chance opportunity changes man's life as Eagles great Brian Dawkins lends a hand
The Brief
A chance pickup at Philadelphia International Airport for a local limo driver would change his life forever.
The passenger? Eagles great Brian Dawkins.
The driver, an African immigrant, had no idea who BDawk was, but in the end, it was a touchdown.
PHILADELPHIA - A random night with a limo driver turned into an unexpected friendship for Eagles legend Brian Dawkins.
A chance encounter
Eagles legend Brian Dawkins recalls getting off to a rocky start with his King Limousine driver, Ashley Shumba, at Philadelphia International Airport back in June of 2022, "I'm trying to find him. He's trying to find me."
It didn't take long, however, for the two to connect on a different level.
"I asked him about his story, basically, his life, his dreams and al of those things and he began to lay it on me, Jack," Dawkins explained.
The backstory
Ashley grew up poor, in a remote village in Zimbabwe, selling fruits and drinks at the age of seven on the streets.
"There was no running water. There was no electricity. You go to take a bus into town. I went to school by foot," Ashley said.
As Ahsley drove Dawkins to his hotel in Villanova, the football great became more and more intrigued, asking Ashley to pull over and listened to his life story for more than an hour.
What they're saying
"I was like, 'Brother, you know that's not normal,'" Dawkins said.
Ashley commented, "He said, 'You realize this story is unique.' I'm like, 'What do you mean?'"
Dawkins was captivated by the number of high-profile people Ashley encountered along his journey and how his good character, his positivity and faith kept playing a role.
Dawkins said, "I don't believe in coincidences. I believe in divine opportunities. Time and time again, he'd run into this person who just happened to have the answer to get this passport or this opportunity."
And then the NFL Hall of Famer came up with an idea, "I just mentioned you ever thought about writing a book?"
Dig deeper
Six months later Ashley would be driving the President and CEO of Philadelphia Insurance Companies, John Glomb, learning of the potential of a book, after noticing Ashley getting a text message from none other than Brian Dawkins.
"I am a big believer in good things happen to good people. The man is a beautiful human being," Glomb stated.
Glomb shared an example of Ashley helping a man on the side of the road in Namibia after his car broke down and refused to take money.
"Ash has no idea who this gentleman is and he was an ambassador to the US in Namibia. So, Ash ended up meeting this man, total dumb luck, bit there are 50 stories like that," Glomb explained.
Big picture view
Philadelphia Insurance Companies foundation sponsored the book. Dawkins helped connect with the publisher and Streamline Books and three years later, Ashley Shumba is an author.
Dawkins said, "I'm blessed to be a part of it. I'm serious. I'm blessed to be a part of it. I'm so happy for him."
Ashley added, "This is beautiful America. Dreams come true in America. Only in America."
He'll never forget his roots. All proceeds from Ashley's book will go to the Ashley Shumba Foundation with the money helping to educate children in the village where he grew up. His hope is to continue changing lives for the better with a little help from his friends.
