MAUMEE, Ohio — Acoustics for Autism, the largest free music event in the U.S., will have 90 bands playing on eight stages from noon to 2 a.m. in downtown Maumee on March 5.
Last year, Acoustics For Autism brought in a record $165,000 for Project iAm, which provides support, resources, information and financial help for families affected by autism.
Brent and Lexi Klassen are two parents who have benefitted from Project iAm. Their two young boys, Kolden and Aithan, both have autism, epilepsy and are non-verbal.
Brent said it was heartbreaking at first to learn of his boys' disabilities.
"At first you’re thinking, what are we going to do?" Brent said. "One is hard enough. How are we going to handle two? But they're kind of Yin and Yang. (They) help out one another. One’s a little wild, one is laid back.”
Lexi said the solution is love because that's what parents do best.
"They’re harder to take care of maybe, but they’re so easy to love," Lexi said. "Every single person who meets them says 'wow, your boys are angels.'”
While raising Kolden and Aithan takes extra effort, Brent and Lexi said their boys have taught them a lot about life and parenting and made them better people for it.
Lexi, a dentist in Bowling Green, said her experience with her sons has made her less fearful of treating similar cases and shown her just how many ways a parent can communicate with a child with autism.
Project iAm has also helped the Klassen family provide sensory items for their children, including adaptive bicycles, wheelchairs, therapy swings and summer programs.
Acoustics For Autism has free admission and raises money through sponsorships, beer sales, a silent auction, raffles and donations.