Kroc Gives $1 Million to AmFAR

Joan Kroc this week gave $1 million to the American Foundation for AIDS Research--but wants the spotlight of the gift to shine only on AmFAR founder Dr. Mathilde Krim.

A spokeswoman for AmFAR in New York City confirmed that a $1-million check was on its way from the Kroc Foundation. Kroc, an avid philanthropist in the causes of peace and social justice, last year wrote a $1-million personal check to AmFAR.

Writing large checks and taking out massive ad campaigns have become trademarks of Kroc, the widow of Ray Kroc, founder of the McDonald’s chain. She has paid for ad campaigns in newspapers around the country promoting peace and nuclear disarmament.

She generally avoids making statements on her contributions. The AmFAR spokeswoman in New York said that Kroc “doesn’t want to take any spotlight from Dr. Krim.” According to the spokeswoman, Kroc was “terribly moved by a piece in the Los Angeles Times on Dr. Krim and it impelled her to make this contribution.”

Used to be that the best parties in town carried the biggest ticket prices. Now, in lots of cases, the best parties carry no ticket prices--or at least, no price tags. In the past year, big bashes celebrating Georgio Armani at the Museum of Contemporary Art and the opening of the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum were two good examples of the by-VIP-invitation-only evenings.

On a similar, silvered track are those events thrown for big givers--the opening of MOCA, the unveiling of special exhibits at the County Museum of Art, last February’s Music Center Benefactors Ball. These parties usually honor those whose cumulative giving records are major, and, as inflation and social pressure mount, the amounts philanthropists are called on to give are frequently reflected in the parties they are given.

Following that maxim--get ready for one of the most lavish, special and valued nights of all time, coming up Feb. 11, honoring major givers to the 2 1/2-year-old Endowment Fund for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

And they are major, since the Endowment Fund has raised more than $90 million in 30 months.

Among the really big hitters on a strictly major league list are the fund’s honorary chairman George Burns, dinner chairman Bram Goldsmith and his wife Elaine (who is working on dinner details), Barbara and Marvin Davis, the Max Factor Family Foundation, developer Nathan Shapell, Carmen and Louis Warschaw, Geri and Richard Brawerman, Joyce and Eugene Klein, Abe and Muriel Lipsey. They fall into the Founding Life Member category--giving at least $1 million (and with some of these donors, the contribution is more in the neighborhood of $5 million).

Donors of $100,000

Those invited to the big bash at the Regent-Beverly Wilshire Hotel will be those who have contributed at least $100,000 to the Endowment Fund. The party celebrates the launching of that redone anchor of Rodeo Drive--and the hotel is picking up the entire cost of the evening. That includes flying in chefs from Regent Hotels around the world and donating 10 astounding door prizes, among them several round-trip first-class flights for two to vacations in Regent Hotels around the world.

This is no dumb move on the part of the hotel management. In the same way that Merv Griffin opened his redone Beverly Hilton ballroom with a major party, so will this event bring out hundreds of super-involved and wealthy people, just the kind of people who will decide in the next year in which hotel ballroom their favorites charities will hold their events.

The Cedars-Sinai supporters believe the hotel made the right choice.

“We’re tops in the country and proud of it,” said Cedars-Sinai exec Larry Baum, noting that the medical center’s large endowment is not connected to a university. But one of the innovations of the drive was to allow a major donor to purchase a “chair,” much as a university does, only this time the contribution translated to a hospital staff position.

Goldsmith, who heads City National Bank, said this week that the enormous success of the Endowment Fund drive means that research and health services continue at present levels at the medical center. “We will be able to maintain the high level of care despite federal cutbacks,” he said.

Along with Goldsmith, the dinner committee includes Maxine Dunitz, Irving Feintech, Robert Silverstein (who has chaired the entire campaign), Marvin Goodson and Barry Mirkin. Co-chairmen of the Endowment Fund are Steve Broidy and Harvey Silbert, while members of the campaign cabinet include Barbara Bentley, Marvin Goodson, Olivia Weisz Hirschfield and Marcia Israel.