Make A Promise dinner and gala for AIDS (1987-date)

"Make-A-Promise" is a fundraising gala and dinner to provide funding to help combat HIV and AIDS.

According to some, the event was originally an informal dinner in 1986 of a group of volunteers for the Milwaukee AIDS Project of the BESTD Clinic.

Later in 1986, there was a planning meeting around the big dining room table at the MAP office, including (by some recollections) Tom Boll, Steve Bahr, likely Steve Steinhauer and John Luedtke, and probably a few others. It was decided to hold a formal dinner and fundraiser called 'Make a Promise', to share the 'MAP' acronym of the parent agency, the 'Milwaukee AIDS Project'. The planning meetings resulted in a dinner and show held at the Wisconsin Club, which is what is referred to as the first annual event called "Make a Promise". (Articles in 1991 and 1992 state that "Tom Boll... created the concept of Make A Promise".)

When the Milwaukee AIDS Project was merged into the new organization AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW), the event was also transferred to ARCW and continued to be an annual fundraiser.

1987

Article: Plan for first annual Make A Promise (In Step v4-02, Feb. 1987) 

Ad: first annual Make A Promise (In Step v4-03, Feb. 1987) 

Article: Results of first annual Make A Promise: $7,700 raised (In Step v4-05, April 1987) 

1988

Article: Plan for second annual Make A Promise (In Step v5-06, April 1988) 

Ad: second annual Make A Promise (In Step v5-06, April 1988) 

Article: Preliminary Results of second annual Make A Promise (In Step v5-08, May 1988) 

Photos: second annual Make A Promise (In Step v5-08, May 1988) 

1989

Article: Plans for 1989 Make A Promise (In Step v6-09, May 1989) 

Program from 1989 Make A Promise (from Jerry Johnson collection) 

Article: Results of 1989 Make A Promise: 255 Attendees (In Step v6-11, June 1989) 

1990

Photo: 1990 planning committee (In Step v6-25, Jan. 1990) 

Photo: Uyvari painting 'Fallen Angel' auctioned off, raising $3,855 for MAP (In Step v7-05, March 1990) 

Photo: 1990 planning committee (Wis Light v3-07, April 1990) 

Cover and select pages from Program 'Make A Promise' April 15, 1990 

Article: Results of 1990 event (In Step v7-07, April 1990) 

Photo: Uyvari painting 'Fallen Angel' auctioned off, raising $3,855 for MAP (Wis Light v3-07, April 1990) 

1991

Article: Plans for 1991 Make A Promise (note: in 1st column, Tom Boll is named as the person "who created the concept of the Make A Promise dinner in 1987") (Wis Light v4-05, March 1991) 

Ad: 1991 Make A Promise (Wis Light v4-05, March 1991) 

Article: Clarenbach to be auctioneer (Wis Light v4-06, March 1991) 

Article: Results of 1991 Make A Promise (Wis Light v4-08, April 1991) 

Photos from 1991 Make A Promise (In Step v8-08, April 1991) 

Article: Results of 1991 Make A Promise $29,000 raised, over 400 attendees (In Step v8-08, April 1991) 

Photo: Results of 1991 Make A Promise (used in Wis Light v4-08, April 1991) 

Photos: from 1991 Make A Promise (Wis Light v4-08, April 1991) 

(Dozens of color photos from 1991 Make A Promise will be posted here shortly) 

1992

Article: Plans for 1992 Make A Promise (note: in 2nd column, Tom Boll is named as the person "who created the concept of Make A Promise") (In Step v9-04, Feb. 1992) 

Article: Results of 1992 Make A Promise $58,000 raised, 800 guests (In Step v9-07, April 1992) 

Photos: from 1992 Make A Promise (In Step v9-07, April 1992) 

Steppin Out column: 1992 Make A Promise (In Step v9-07, April 1992) 

1993

Article: Plans for 1993 Make A Promise (In Step v10-06, March 1993) 

Article: Results of 1993 Make A Promise $83,000 raised, nearly 1,000 attendees (In Step v10-07, April 1993) 

Photos from 1993 Make A Promise (In Step v10-07, April 1993) 

1994

Article: Plans for 1994 Make A Promise (In Step v11-04, Feb. 1994) 

Program from 1994 Make A Promise (cover and back pages only)  

Article: Results of 1994 Make A Promise $95,000 raised (In Step v11-07, April 1994) 

1995

Article: Plans for 1995 Make A Promise (In Step v12-03, Feb. 1995) 

Ad: 1995 Make A Promise (In Step v12-03, Feb. 1995) 

Article: Rose Awaard winners announced (In Step v12-05 March 1995) 

Program from 1995 Make A Promise (cover and back pages only)  

Article: Results of 1995 Make A Promise $113,000 raised, 900 attendees (In Step v12-08, April 1994) 

1996

Auction catalog from 1996 Make A Promise (cover and first pages only)  

Article: Results of 1996 Make A Promise $137,500 raised (In Step v13-06, April 1996) 

1997

Article: Results of 1997 Make A Promise (In Step v14-09, May 1997) 

1998

Photo: 1998 Committee Co-chairs Dr. Tim Lapp (left) & Paul Masterson 

Article: Results of 1998 Make A Promise $160,000 raised, over 1,000 attendees (In Step v15-07, April 1998) 

Photo: from 1998 Make A Promise: (l to r) Doug Nelson (ARCW Executive Director), Michael Youngman (ARCW Vice-Chair), Governor Tommy Thompson, & Mark Bugher (Secy, Wis. Dept. of Admin) 

1999

Article: Spotlight on Make A Promise by Bill Meunier (Wis Light v12-06, March 1999) 

Article: Doug Kwikkel to chair steering committee for 13th / 1999 Make A Promise (In Step v16-05, March 1999) 

2000

Article: Results of 2000 Make A Promise over $200,000 raised, 1,100 attendees (In Step v13-06, April 1996) 

2001

Article: Planning for 15th / 2001 Make A Promise (In Step v18-02, Jan. 2001) 

2003

Article: Results of 2003 Make A Promise $188,450 raised, 1,100 attendees (In Step v20-08, April 2003)