The cliché says: "It takes a village to raise a child." In Bermuda, part of that village is a church. The Midland Heights Seventh-day Adventist Church is holding a concert to raise funds for a child in need.

Dakari is an amazing, bright and cheerful little boy. He was born at full term in 2006 after a life-threatening incident involving his mother's blood pressure dropping to dangerously low levels.

He spent his first two days crying non-stop. The attending paediatrician suspected there may have been some form of swelling in his brain. He spent the next two weeks in the hospital being treated for meningitis and having numerous tests done. Interestingly, those tests came back "normal". But it was later discovered that Dakari had Cerebral Palsy caused by a lack of oxygen during childbirth.

The only way to deal with Cerebral Palsy and to help Dakari learn to walk, talk and communicate is through constant physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, etc. Dakari travels annually to Boston Children's Hospital for checkups and evaluations. In 2009, he received Botox shots to aid him in walking and developing his motor skills.

He was also evaluated by specialists at the Augmentative Communication Program at Children's.

They concluded that Dakari would benefit significantly from having a communication device. Even though Dakari is three, he still communicates by pointing and mainly babbling.

The communication device will enhance his life by enabling him to communicate effectively in various social settings including school and home. The only challenge is that the device cost between $6,000 and $9,000 and will therefore be difficult to acquire.

Dakari's parents, Pete and Annesa Saunders are proud of Dakari's progress thus far and have never questioned why this happened to him or attempted to blame anyone or anything. They count themselves blessed that he is alive and so full of life.

As his name means "happiness", Dakari certainly lives up to his name! Family, friends, therapists and even strangers keep saying "Dakari is a very determined person and he is so happy". They are right! It is hard not to admire his determination despite his obvious challenges.

The Midland Heights Church hopes raise money to purchase the device that Dakari needs to further his development. Any additional funds will go towards Dakari's future needs, as well as the operation of a Cerebral Palsy support group charity for parent who have children with CP. The church recognises the need for this charity, and wants to help in getting it started.

The music leader at the church, Steve Darrell, says, "We're doing this because we are looking out for the youth. Dakari is our future. In these economic times, it's hard to purchase essential items for young people. We want to affect someone's life, and this is our way of giving back."

The concert will be held at the Midland Heights Seventh-day Adventist Church (located at the top of Crawl Hill in Hamilton Parish) starting at 5 p.m. Featured artists are the St. George's SDA Church praise team, His Hands Sign Language Choir, and "The Heights" Celebration Choir & Praise Team. A love offering will be taken in aid of Dakari and the future charity.

Pete Saunders would also like to get in contact with parents who have children with CP here in Bermuda.

He wants to know how to best meet the needs of these special children. Contact him on 536-3344 or email determinedkidz@gmail.com