A BIG-HEARTED teenager who always felt different growing up has handed over yet another donation to his former primary school.
Mikey Akers has handed a further £5,000 to Balsall Common Primary School Academy for the Special Educational Needs (SEN) department which supported him.
The 18-year-old suffers from a condition called verbal dyspraxia which affects his everyday life.
The condition makes it difficult to communicate and can lead to sufferers often being shy and lacking confidence with new people.
It is a relatively unknown condition and so very little research has gone into it, he says.
Mikey decided to change that and set up a charity called ‘Mikey’s Wish’ to raise funds to help others so that they don’t have to face the same challenges he has.
Since leaving the Balsall Street East school he has recognised the help and support he was given and decided to give something back.
Through his perseverance and unwavering dedication Mikey has raised more than £11,000 in just three-and-a-half years which the school say has made a huge difference to the resources available and making a big impact on SEN.
Mikey has been recognised for his hard work, in March he won the Stephen Sutton Inspiration Award and in October he won an Inspirational Young Person award at the Solihull Civic Honours Awards.
Howard Rose, director of funding and publicity at the school, said: “This is not something he has been asked to do and it is all off his own back.
“As a professional fund raiser I know how difficult it is to raise funds and what Mikey has done is incredible.
“Then factor in he is only just 18 and it really is amazing what he has achieved.”
