The Bel Air Crew performs in the "Hip Hop Squad Battle" segment of Dancing with the Rogue Valley Stars in 2022.

Six months after grossing more than $100,000 from the annual Dancing with the Rogue Valley Stars fundraiser, Sparrow Clubs USA has yet to receive final payment from embattled online ticketer Brown Paper Tickets.

The May event held at North Medford High School raises money each year for the Sparrow Clubs’ general fund. Founded in 1995 in Washington state, the nonprofit coordinates school-based clubs in which local schools “adopt” children with serious medical conditions to provide financial and emotional support for their families. Southern Oregon’s Sparrow Clubs region was established in November 2001.

Students perform volunteer work to earn vouchers for funds pledged by community sponsors. Funding goes to help families with expenses such as travel to hospitals, equipment and services that aren’t provided by insurance or for other needs that arise.

Matt Sampson, executive director of Sparrow Clubs USA, said Dancing with the Rogue Valley Stars, founded in 2009, is the main fundraiser for his organization’s general fund. While most of the proceeds from this year were paid around the time of the event, $15,122 in final ticket proceeds was never received, he said.

Funds raised by the event help cover staffing and other expenses “necessary to keep the Sparrow Clubs program functioning in such a large region of service,” Sampson said.

Sampson said he had worked with Seattle-based Brown Paper Tickets for a decade without issue. When the final payment failed to arrive this year, Sampson sent emails to Brown Paper Tickets on May 23 and June 2. A representative from Events.com — the company that acquired Brown Paper Tickets in 2022 — emailed Sampson June 5.

“Someone from Events.com finally emailed me back and said, ‘Hey, this event was set up by Brown Paper Tickets. We’re acquiring them, but this was not us,” Sampson said.

Sampson sent a third email on July 14 to no avail. Phone calls to Brown Paper Tickets have gone unanswered. Media reports and social media posts about nonpayment to Sparrow Clubs resulted in a trickle of messages and links to news stories from around the U.S., Sampson said.

In 2020, Brown Paper Tickets was sued by Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson after hundreds of businesses filed complaints about payments they never received. Brown Paper Tickets was ordered in 2021 to pay $9 million to approximately 45,000 event organizers and ticket buyers.

“One woman who runs a dance company in Washington, D.C., called me and told me Brown Paper Tickets owes her $21,000,” Sampson said.

Sampson said he’s hoping to find a pro bono attorney to send a letter demanding payment, but he doesn’t believe Sparrow Clubs will recoup the funds.

Brown Paper Tickets did not return phone calls or a Facebook message from the Rogue Valley Times.

The most recent post related to missing payments was posted May 19 to the company’s Facebook page.

“We are deeply sorry for the extended delay in getting payments and refunds to our customers,” the post said. “We also recognize that our lack of timely communications has added to their frustrations during the COVID-19 crisis. We’re working hard to make our customers whole and improve our communications. For the latest information, please visit our new microsite and sign up for our listserv. We will email subscribers when we have news to share.”

A handful of private Facebook groups, with group names including “WE WANT OUR MONEY BROWN PAPER TICKETS! NOW!” and “Stiffed by Brown Paper Tickets” offer a place for victims to share their stories.

Kena Sampson, Southern Oregon director for Sparrow Clubs and Matt Sampson’s wife, said it felt like a slap in the face to the 1,247 community members who purchased tickets to the show and to performers who worked for 10 weeks to put on a high-quality act.

“It makes you angry. It’s wrong,” she said. “We spend a good amount of time each year putting together a great cast who is passionate about the work of Sparrow Clubs. Yes, it’s a competition, but the overall goal for everyone involved — cast and crew — is to have a successful show that benefits the young people in our community. Dancing With the Rogue Valley Stars is a labor of love each year, and Brown Paper Tickets should be ashamed of themselves.”

Matt Sampson emphasized that he wasn’t asking for donations but hoping to warn others to avoid using Brown Paper Tickets.

“My intention in all of this isn’t to ask the community to make up those funds, but to put pressure on Brown Paper Tickets to do the right thing. I’m also trying to hopefully protect other nonprofits, or anyone really, from being put in the same situation,” he said.

“This event (was put on) from our blood sweat and tears,” Matt Sampson continued. “That $15,000 is after they took all their fees. … We get $22 and change per each $25 ticket. And here we are six months later, still waiting.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the venue for the Rogue Valley Dancing with the Stars competition.

Rogue Credit Union Tuesday announced a $1,000 donation to Southern Oregon Sparrow Clubs to help recoup more than $15,000 in unpaid ticket proceeds from this year’s Dancing with the Rogue Valley Stars.

Jeanne Pickens, COO at Rogue Credit Union, announced the donation and vowed to help replace the missing funds. Rogue Credit Union is the official Sparrow Clubs sponsor for North Medford High School.

“Our partnership with Southern Oregon Sparrow Clubs has shown us first-hand the difference they make in the community,” said Pickens. “We are proud to step forward to continue our support of this important, local organization.”

Community members who wish to donate can do so at any Rogue Credit Union branch or online at roguecu.org.