MAUMEE, Ohio — Acoustics for Autism is about to celebrate its 17th year this weekend. It is the biggest free outdoor musical festival in the region and one of the largest in the nation. Last year's event drew 15,000 people to Uptown Maumee.
This year, there will be live music from 95 different bands on eight stages from noon on Sunday until 2 a.m. on Sunday.
All the musicians play for the joy of giving back to Project iAm, which is a non-profit that helps families with a child on the autism spectrum. In total, $800,000 has been raised in support of Project iAm and its cause.
Tiffany Algarin and her 12-year-old son, Lincoln Houghton, are one of up to 200 families who have received scholarship money for a variety of programs many families could not afford.
"He was identified with autism when he was 3. Extremely intelligent, could say all the letters of the alphabet forward and backward, sounds, but when you tried to communicate with him it came out as babble," Algarin said. "So we struggled with insurance companies, paying for therapy.”
Then she heard about Project iAm and Acoustics for Autism. The support made a difference in her life and Lincoln's.
"A huge difference," Algarin said. "Obviously you're interacting and talking with him and you can understand everything he's saying, which is not something he could do prior to getting a lot of our scholarship money."
Project iAm helped Lincoln get into the Mercy autism clinic, attend speech therapy, and play soccer and tennis. He's even getting drum lessons.
Lincoln joined Arctic Clam at Hensville last year, invited by Nicole Khoury to play drums with Scott Hayes.
"I usually play the drums like every Saturday or Sunday," Lincoln said. "But the reason why I play it is I'm trying to make my dream of it really good and trying to make sure I have the best future I can have.”
If you would like to Project iAm in its mission to make sure kids have the best futures they can have too, stop by Acoustics for Autism on Sunday in the 300 block of Conant Street in Maumee and the surrounding areas.
The music starts at noon, admission is free and donations are encouraged. Check out the full concert lineup and more information at acousticsforautism.com.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the date of the festival.
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