Former dancer and prostitute who founded 'Eve's Angels' is heartened by Florida woman's story

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The founder of “Eve’s Angels” -- an outreach group to prostitutes and exotic dancers -- said she is heartened by the story of a Florida woman whose recovery from prostitution began with a street corner prayer in Grand Rapids 14 years ago.

“Christians usually run away from what we do,” said Anny Donewald, founder of Eve’s Angels, a group that started in Grand Rapids and now also operates in Chicago, Detroit, Lansing and Dallas.

“These are the people we need to run to, not away from,” said Donewald, a former dancer and escort. “It just takes one person to go to them and pray for them.”

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Donewald said her group’s volunteers visit street corners and strip clubs to hand out gift bags containing cosmetics, chocolate and a Bible to women in the sex trade. They also set up booths at pornography conventions, she said.

“We never tell them to quit. We’re just there to offer them a message of love, support and hope,” said Donewald. “Jesus loves them right where they are.”

Donewald, who became an exotic dancer at age 19 and worked in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Detroit and Chicago, said she began her ministry 2 ½ years ago. After six years in the sex industry, she left about nine years ago.

Today, the group hosts weekly Bible studies in each city, she said. Locally, the group has a weekly Bible study at Thornapple Covenant Church. The group also has an apartment in Grand Rapids to shelter women who are leaving the sex trade, she said.

“To me, it’s a blessing to go into the cities where my life was being ruined,” said Donewald, who said she and her fellow Angels can be reached through their website, evesangels.org.

E-mail Jim Harger: jharger@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JHHarger