Adams Center nets over half of donation

The Adams Center has raised between 60 and 80 percent of the $75,000 promised to the Elton John AIDS Foundation in an as-yet unsigned memo with the Howard Rose Agency, venue director Mary Muse told the Montana Kaimin Thursday.

“Quite frankly, the $75,000 … we never regarded it as something that might not happen,” Muse said. “It’s a very do-able thing.”

This news correlates with optimism expressed this week by University of Montana administrators that the donation money will be raised in time for the April 11 concert.

Bob Duringer, UM vice president of administration and finance, told the Kaimin on Wednesday, while attending the Board of Regents meeting in Dillon, that Muse is ultimately responsible for making sure the funds are raised.

UM Vice President Jim Foley, also attending the Board of Regents meeting Wednesday, said he thinks Muse is involving people in the community to raise the $75,000, a fact Muse confirmed. Ultimately, Foley said, a combination of groups would be responsible for fundraising.

“I think it’s a whole bunch of us, including students,” Foley said. “A lot have come forward to try to be helpful, not only the University, the student community, but the community of Missoula, to bring this world-class entertainer back again.”

Muse said she did not make a public announcement about the donation because she felt a “media blitz” would generate bad blood between the Adams Center and local AIDS charities. The donation was not meant to directly compete with the UM Foundation or Missoula-based charity organizations, she said.

“I know that there is a very strong force within our community that fundraises for AIDS in Missoula, and I don’t want them to view us as competition.”

Keri McWilliams, executive director of the Missoula AIDS Council, spoke out after reading about the Adams Center donation in the Montana Kaimin. McWilliams issued a statement on behalf of the Council: “We certainly support the efforts of the Elton John Foundation to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. However, we would like to remind the University community that HIV/AIDS is an issue right here in Montana. Missoula AIDS Council provides statewide prevention services, as well as supportive services for those living with HIV/AIDS in Montana. So obviously we would like to see our community resources stay in Montana and go to local efforts.”

McWilliams said a representative from the Adams Center attempted to contact the Council Thursday afternoon. The Council plans to get in touch with Adams Center administration and will not make further statements until that has been done.

Muse said the Adams Center has not made plans to release detailed information regarding donors and donation amounts to the public, and it is doubtful that the information will be made available. This is a measure to protect any private donors who wish to remain anonymous for personal reasons and does not mean the Adams Center is trying to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes, she said.

“We are facilitating donations, we are not making the donations,” Muse said.

Negotiations for a second Elton John concert began shortly after ticket sales for the first concert concluded. Because the show sold out so quickly, Muse called John’s representatives to ask if she could reserve a second concert date. Due to a busy tour schedule, John was unable to play a second concert in the fall. But Muse said John’s people were considerate when she continued to ask, “How can we get a second date?”

Muse said in answer to her question, the Howard Rose Agency mentioned John’s passion for his AIDS Foundation. Muse did not say who first suggested the Adams Center make a donation, only that during negotiations the parties landed on something mutually beneficial.

“When we made this commitment, we believed it was reasonable and doable, and we still do,” Muse said.

Muse said she alerted the UM administration to the donation deal “within 10 minutes” of making the offer. ASUM was alerted about the same time, she said.

Jamie Purdy contributed reporting to this article.