CREDIT: JOHN SING
Gary Lima (pictured) performs with his band, The Memphis Jam, to raise funds for United Way.

United Way Elgin-Middlesex, the London area branch of the community- based charity, has begun their yearly holiday fundraising. Every year, they ask Fanshawe students to lend a helping hand for those in need, and every year Fanshawe students answer in abundance.

One of their yearly fundraisers is a rock performance held in the Aeolian Hall of Music and Arts, which this year is on Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. Fanshawe students and faculty alike will gather to listen to The Memphis Jam, a band consisting of two members of Fanshawe’s staff, as well a graduate from Fanshawe’s music industry arts (MIA) program, and a local musician.

The band’s old rock sound is more than just an imitation of the greats, as the lead vocalist and guitarist Gary Lima, Fanshawe College’s Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Business Development, spent his youth as a member of The Dice, a rock band that toured alongside Billy Idol and Stevie Ray Vaughan.


With this year being their 10th anniversary as a band, they look to put on a spectacular show in the same venue as their inaugural show. Every year, the band gathers, with this being their ninth year in a row, to garner support for United Way’s many community-based programs.

While United Way’s projects are numerous and varied, they all focus on aid through the work of the community. They have developed systems to help individuals struggling with mental illness, the housing crisis, and most notably in this campaign, those going hungry.

Darlene O’Neill, one of the co-chairs of Fanshawe’s campaign this year said, “If every student gave $5, you could probably feed three or four hundred children.”

Drastic increases in food prices have left many in the London area struggling to provide their families with food. United Way alleviates much of that strain for families through breakfast programs, and the support of many organizations directly targeting the issue.

“United Way offers all of the types of services that are really important in a community,” O’Neill said. “Because we are a community College, we are part of this community and I think that some of us are more fortunate and others, but others use these services”.

O’Neill said many students make use of the services and that for some, knowing that they are directly supporting students offers a face to issues that often feel distant.

“Mental health is something everyone struggles with at some point in their life, especially students,” she said. “They are under a lot of pressure and that can affect anyone. When you support United Way, you are supporting your fellow students to be healthy and successful.”

Fanshawe’s United Way campaign is looking for donations and volunteers for the holiday season, but their need for support expands year-round. Anyone looking to lend a hand or help provide for those in need around them can visit D1063 in Fanshawe’s main campus to learn more about United Way and Fanshawe’s involvement, or by attending The Memphis Jam’s concert.