Jim Marston, Publisher/CEO of Uncle Andy’s Digest/LA Metro Magazine. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
AUBURN — As the 20th anniversary of Uncle Andy’s Digest neared, its longtime owner Jim Marston wanted to throw a party and partner with a charity to make it more meaningful.
What he found was something that hit very close to home, and it’s since grown beyond what he ever expected.
Heading into its 8th annual event, the Uncle Andy’s summer block party has raised nearly $500,000 for Make-A-Wish Maine, granting 64 wishes for children with critical illnesses.
When considering local organizations to partner with, Marston, a survivor of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, ended up hearing the story of a Make-A-Wish family with a child survivor of the same cancer.
“There was an immediate connection,” he said.
In the first year, the event brought in enough to grant two wishes. Marston, also called Jimbo, thought it would just be a “one and done” event to celebrate the magazine’s anniversary, but he said, “It’s taken on a life of its own.”
“It’s grown to become the largest external event in Make-A-Wish Maine’s history,” he said.
Kate Vickory, CEO of Make-A-Wish Maine, said the organization has been “blown away” by what the summer block party has been able to do each year.
“With over $475,000 raised in seven years, we are still in awe each year to see the success of this event,” she said. “We are so grateful for Jim’s dedicated leadership and all his efforts that go into planning and coordinating this event along with all the other volunteers who give so many hours of their own time. They have changed the lives of dozens of wish families in Maine who are directly impacted by their generosity.”
“It’s been an amazing ride,” Marston said in an Uncle Andy’s feature on the event. “Our community has literally wrapped their arms around this very special event.”
Marston, who has owned the magazine since 2001, is now in a second cancer battle. Two years ago he was diagnosed with a cancer of the head and neck, and began a rigorous treatment schedule. Not long after, he was told it had spread to one of his lungs, which causes shortness of breath.
Despite his ongoing battle, planning for the summer block party continues. The 8th edition will be Aug. 13 outside Mac’s Grill in Auburn.
Marston, an Auburn native and graduate of Edward Little High School, said there are no plans to wind down the annual fundraiser, adding that he’s confident that it would continue even if his health requires him to step away.
Uncle Andy’s Digest, a humor-based publication, was founded in 1996, and is distributed to nearly 20 municipalities in Androscoggin, Oxford, Sagadahoc and Cumberland counties.
In 2015, Marston launched LA Metro Magazine, a quarterly lifestyle magazine focused on Androscoggin County.
Know someone with a deep well of unlimited public spirit? Someone who gives of their time to make their community a better place? Then nominate them for Kudos. Send their name and the place where they do their good deeds to reporter Andrew Rice at arice@sunjournal.com and we’ll do the rest.
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