El Paso Children’s Hospital backs off from fundraising event due to DJ’s porn career

Dec. 9 Update: Veterans Entertainment, which is putting on the “Dance4Charity” event on Dec. 19 at the Plum City Lounge, released the following statement in response to KVIA’s story on Monday, Dec. 8:

“Veterans Entertainment’s mission is to support charitable organizations and raise awareness through house/dance music events. Our event series, “Dance4Charity,” is centered around the organizations we aim to help. With this event, our intention wa s to donate all proceeds and host a toy drive to help brighten the children’s holiday season. Jessie Andrews is a world famous DJ who is passionate about her music and she supported our mission and cause. The event will still be held and we will push to support a charity that would like us to help them. A person’s past should not prevent them from doing a positive service for others, hopefully more organizations will recognize that. “

Jessie Andrews posted several tweets in response to the ABC-7 story.

“I love music. I love to dance. I love to dj. And it’s not a joke to me. I honestly love it. Who cares if I do/done porn? Let’s get real,” Andrews tweeted. “ALSO: Shame on anyone who judges me for what I’ve done. It’s 2014. If I got hurt the hospital wouldn’t turn me down.”

“Society pretty much says that since I’ve done porn I can’t do anything else in life that’s respectable. Just kill me now why don’t you,” Andrews tweeted.

Andrews also tweeted a picture of herself on the beach flipping the bird and saying, “Do what you love. Fuck everything else. Here’s one for the haters.”

The Facebook event page for the Dec. 19 Dance4Charity event has taken off references to the El Paso Children’s Hospital.

Tickets for the event may be purchased at http://www.wantickets.com/Events/ShowEvent.aspx?eventId=172063

Dec. 8 Story: Cash-strapped El Paso Children’s Hospital is backing away from its participation in a local fundraiser after learning Monday that the special guest DJ for the event also happens to be an adult film star.

The “Dance4Charity,” in benefit of Children’s Hospital, is scheduled for Dec. 19 at the Plum City Lounge, and organized by Veterans Entertainment.

One hundred percent of the ticket proceeds were to go to the Children’s Hospital, along with toys collected at the event.

The event features headline entertainment by DJ Jessie Andrews, who also is making headway in her other career path as an award-winning porn actress.

“This event was coordinated through the UMC Foundation without the consent of El Paso Children’s Hospital. We have asked the UMC Foundation to immediately correct this by removing our name as a recipient,” Children’s spokeswoman Susie Byrd told ABC-7.

The charity event was advertised on the Facebook and Twitter accounts of Children’s Hospital.

Not long after ABC-7 asked Byrd for comment on the booking of Andrews, all mention of the event and her appearance on the Children’s Hospital social media accounts were deleted.

The event page and ticket page still mention Children’s Hospital as of late Monday afternoon. (Editor’s Note: The event and ticket pages no longer had Children’s Hospital references when checked Tuesday morning)

UMC Foundation’s director Dennece Knight told ABC-7 that third-party groups routinely raise money or collect toys for Children’s Hospital and ask to be able to use the hospital’s logo as part of those efforts.

She said that happened in this case when Veterans Entertainment asked about being able to use the Children’s logo on promotional materials to indicate the hospital as beneficiary of the event.

“We would not have known who she was,” Knight told ABC-7 regarding Andrews and her non-DJing career. “I don’t think that it was appropriate to have her for an event benefiting Children’s.”

Knight said the foundation asked Veterans Entertainment to remove the Children’s Hospital logo from event materials.

Knight said they hope to work with Veterans Entertainment in the future, just with someone more appropriate for Children’s Hospital.

ABC-7 reached out to Veterans Entertainment and Andrews’ representatives for comment but did not receive a response by deadline.