By Lisa Ackerman

This past June 14th something amazing happened.  1500 people gathered in a park with rides, volunteers, vendors, music, food, fun at a park in Irvine, California. What made it special?  Most of the families were affected one way or another by autism.  A video of the event and family stories featuring actor Johnathon Schaech can be found HERE.
 
Even though TACA has provided this event for the past six years, it never ceases to amaze me the beauty of the event.   Kids and their families get to do in one day what most families of neurotypical children take for granted.  I never take this day for granted.
Thankfully, TACA has had the picnic event replicated by our lovely Hawaii Chapter.  Their event video can be found HERE. We are deeply hopeful that we can provide this special event in more places across the country.

The most beautiful part of the day is seeing some children – after a year has gone by – and to witness their amazing improvement. Each year these kids are getting better. Traditional therapies, biomedical intervention and hope make a big difference.  Some stories will melt your heart. This year I saw four more new examples of recovery over last year.  What a precious gift.

TACA is more than a one day event. We are a foundation providing services for families in need. This event just captures my heart whenever I see the video. Sometimes a video like of this event can help families know they are not alone, see folks like Johnathon that care and want to help, hear another amazing story of recovery that can help project them forward to another day with the power of HOPE. I just wanted to share the message.

Lisa – Jeff & Lauren’s mom
TACA founder