That time came for Dave Graham, guitarist and vocalist of local rock group The Blisters, when he and other parents, whose children are part of the Wildwood School Educational Program, were asked if they had any ideas for a fundraiser to help raise money for the school’s 2008 capital fundraising campaign.

Graham has a personal connection with the school’s program because his son, Kevin, has autism and attends the school. When asked about fundraiser ideas he jumped at the opportunity to offer his band’s services. He also used his connections to put together an assortment of area bands who all agreed to take part in a fundraiser at the Parting Glass in Saratoga Springs on Sunday, March 30.

The seven bands performing on that day are among some of the more popular groups in the area and draw from a wide array of genres that include country, blues, garage, rock, pop-punk, alternative and punk rock.

“There’s a little something for everybody,” said Melanie Krahmer, drummer and vocalist of Albany-based rock-duo Sirsy. “This is definitely an eclectic bill. It’ll be a great time.”

Graham said that he was lucky to get some of the bigger name acts from the area to play the show and he believes that it will create a bigger audience to draw from. The bands have all donated their time free of charge and there are set times in case people only want to check out a certain act.

The Wildwood Program is a not-for-profit program that enables and empowers children and adults with learning disabilities, autism and other neurologically-based developmental disabilities to lead independent, productive and fulfilling lives. The school draws from 54 different school districts in 12 counties throughout the capital region. Their capital campaign goal is to raise $5.5 million for the program; over $3.3 million has already been raised toward the goal.

Graham does not know what to expect in terms of attendance, but he is hoping that the fundraiser will yield a few thousand dollars.

“I’m just going to shoot for the sky and see what happens,” Graham said.

Graham said he has never done anything like this before, but it has been a great experience and he would do it again if he was able to. He said in terms of organizing the event, the hardest part was finding a venue and an appropriate date.

The show will take place Sunday, March 30 from 3 to 10 p.m. at the Parting Glass in Saratoga Springs. All proceeds generated from the show will go towards benefiting the Wildwood Program. It’s an all-ages show and kids under 12 get in free. Tickets are priced at five dollars in advance and $10 dollars the day of the show and can be purchased at Borders on Wolf Road in Albany or from the bands playing in the show. There will also be a 50/50 raffle and silent auction.

“You get to help some people help out kids with autism and neural disorders,” Krahmer said. “It takes a really special kind of person to work with those kids; it’s nice to give back — you start to realize just how lucky we are.”

You can learn more about Wildwood Stock and the Wildwood Program at: www.wildwood.edu or www.myspace.com/rock4wildwood