Club owner apologizes for delay, gets fundraiser money to family
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PORTLAND, Ore. – A club promoter used the name of the little girl who died in the party bus accident earlier this year to sell tickets to a fundraiser he planned, but the family called KATU when they never got the check.
Angie Hernandez, 11, fell out of the window of a party bus as it rounded a corner in Southwest Portland in September and died before paramedics could get her to a hospital. Investigators found serious violations with the bus' emergency windows.
The Annex Club in Oregon City planned a big fundraiser in November with the family's blessing that was called a "Benefit for Angie Hernandez." It charged $7 a person. But Hernandez' adopted grandmother, Jan McCafferty, who manages her memorial fund, says the club's managers never sent money and stopped returning phone calls. McCafferty’s related to Hernandez by marriage.
The family wasn't expecting to get rich from the fundraiser, but they thought a few hundred dollars would really help pay Hernandez' funeral expenses, so on a Saturday in November bands played all night in Hernandez' memory.
The Annex posted invitations on the web and on Facebook, but after the music stopped that Saturday, more than a month ago, so did the communication.
"Over time I became more and more frustrated – frustrated not so much that the check hadn't arrived but there wasn't even a response, which left me with the impression that the intention was not to follow through on the commitment that they had made," McCafferty said.
On Monday, the club finally followed through after KATU News tried to contact it Monday. Johnny Ashy, the owner of The Annex, gave the $500 check to McCafferty with an apology.
"I apologize for not having this delivered to you in a more timely fashion," he said when he delivered the check to McCafferty at her home.
By phone, Ashy told KATU News that he and his promoter simply procrastinated all this time and that's why it took so long. He apologized many times and promised there was no bad intent.
$500 divided by $7.00 = 71.42.
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So how did he come up with this number when it doesn't even come to an equal number???
PLEASE SHOW PROOF.
Ah its all about the $$$$$$...............Both sides want to keep it, seems that everytime something happens there is a fund raiser or a special account set up. To much of the hand out thing...pay your own costs, put your hands back in your pocket!!!!
I know this club owner well, I completely believe him if he said it was procrastination. They have done so much for our community and club members. Johnny Ashy is no fraud or felon!!!
once a felon, always a felon...(for fraud)Â hes screwed way more than just those people out of money!!
Okay, we have to take the guy's word for it, hmmm? "No bad intent"? No, but there was some interest paid by the bank into this guy's account, yes?
 @Gravity Works! Doubtful. If he's like many small businesses, he probably spent the original money on expenses, hoping the $500 would be available to pay the family right away. Many small business owners run with next to nothing of a balance in their bank accounts. It's not smart and not a recipe for long-term success, but it's just a fact that it happens.
Great job  KATU! So sad what people try to get away with until called attention to! Very sad for the family, haven't they been through enough to this turn around to this?!
Johnny Ashy SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF HIM SELF!
I'd like to see the books on that night. He had quite the overhead, I'm sure of it. (*sarcasm)
He gave a $500 check for $3500 collected. Old scam, new name.
"He apologized many times and promised there was no bad intent."
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Uh huh.
sounds more like bull S... So, how much did he really raise in the name of Angie Hernandez?
@swimbad Sounds to me like the only reason he coughed ANYTHING up was KATU called him on the carpet. Good job, guys!
 @iamtroglodite  @swimbad Yup. Probably figured bad media coverage would cost him more then 500 in the long run.
 @wondering  @Liberty4_WA  @iamtroglodite  @swimbad He would love you to believe that, he would love everyone to believe that. Nobody should try to believe that, he is full of bs so why let him move on without being responsible for raking everyone. If I donate to a cause and it gets ripped then I would like to put a head on a chopping block and have a little conversation before I chop!
@Liberty4_WA @iamtroglodite @swimbad Sounds like the guy donated his profit - the 500. He may have collected more, but I'm sure there are hard costs involved that need to be paid.
 @iamtroglodite  @swimbad People who try and make profit off of tragedy make me sick are the lowest form of humanity.
 @swimbad Sick the state on the guy is the only way we will ever really know!!