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January 2026 | Phonebox Magazine 53LIONS MEET %u2018MAYA%u2019S MISSION%u2019!At last month%u2019s business meeting we agreed to make a donation to %u2018Maya%u2019s Mission%u2019 %u2013 a local girl who is fundraising for a special wheelchair-like device that can climb stairs, to give her further independence.Well, this month, Lion Sylvia and I had the pleasure of meeting with Maya and her Dad. Maya has spinal muscular atrophy and has been in a wheelchair since she was two. She is a very plucky, inspirational young lady %u2013 and is now fundraising for a new special wheelchair.Her current wheelchair is faulty and unsafe, as she has had it for over eight years, and it no longer lives up to her needs and lifestyle. She relies on a wheelchair all day, every day to be able to do the things she loves, including seeing her friends, going to school and travelling, and so it is essential that she can get around safely and independently in a wheelchair that works.As Maya told us: %u201cI am raising money to buy the iBOT wheelchair, which has all the functions of my current wheelchair, such as raising and tilting functions to make my day-to-day life easier. It will also be customised to fi t my body and needs with features such as a headrest and a contoured cushion. It has a four-wheel drive mode which would allow me to drive up and down curbs and small steps, for example, into shops, restaurants, or my friends%u2019 houses. This feature would also allow me to drive on a range of terrains such as uneven fi elds, gravel, and sand, which would allow me to visit the beach, which I love so much but can never easily get to. The best part of this iBOT chair is its ability to climb stairs! This would be absolutely life-changing for me, as it would allow me to get pretty much anywhere and be more included in a world not designed for wheelchair users. This especially would help for when I want to go travelling when I leave school, much like many other people my age, and when I go to university next year and start to live more independently%u201d.DONATIONSHelping to Deliver Hope to Ukraine: At our meeting this month, we had some interesting visitors. We were privileged to meet a small group of folks from Yardley Hastings and beyond, who will once again set out on a mission of compassion, to deliver vital vehicles and supplies directly to those in need in Ukraine. Every donated vehicle, fi tted with lifesaving gear, reaches frontline medics and rescue teams in Ukraine. Over the past two years, their small village has done something truly extraordinary: they%u2019ve already sent 10 vehicles from Yardley Hastings to support Ukraine%u2019s defenders and humanitarian eff orts. Each one has made a diff erence %u2013 helping to deliver food, medical aid, and bring people to safety.Now, they are fundraising to purchase a pickup truck, a lifeline that will be used on the front lines and in devastated communities. Every pound Newport Pagnell & Olney Lions (CIO)raised will go towards buying, preparing, and delivering this vehicle %u2013 a vehicle that could quite literally save lives.The war in Ukraine is far from over. The courage of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire us, and as long as they fi ght for their freedom, we will stand with them. Together, from their small corner of Northamptonshire, they can continue to show that compassion crosses borders. Every donation, large or small, brings hope one mile closer.Our club unanimously agreed to make a donation of %u00a3300 for this cause, which will be used to purchase and install a generator in one of the vehicles.Support for the Children of Chernobyl: We also agreed on a donation to the Chernobyl Relief Foundation in the UK %u2013 CRF. This organisation seeks to provide aid to those people in Ukraine who suff ered as a result of the world%u2019s gravest nuclear disaster. CRF sponsors medical aid to the third generation of Chernobyl children in the Ukraine, who are aff ected by and living through the aftermath of Chernobyl and the war in Ukraine. The project also encourages young people to contribute to the safety of the planet via cultural programs.It is a cause close to the heart of one of our members, in particular, Lion Tatiana %u2013 and we were very pleased to agree a donation to this cause. The photo shows Lions Tatiana and Trevor at a recent FR event for CRF.FUND RAISING EVENTSOur new Town Calendars are selling well. Thank you to all our local retailers and to Phonebox Magazine for helping out with the sales.Dickens of a Christmas Lions Craft Fair Raffl e: At our Craft Fair event, we also ran a Christmas Raffl e. The main prize was this beautiful Christmas hamper, containing lots of M&S goodies. There was some lovely wine, truffl es, fruit cake, a Christmas pudding, mince pies, cheese twists, peanuts, a hot chocolate bombe, a couple of bags of savoury snacks and a bag of chocolate coins as well. The hamper was made up by our good friend Terry, who also donated much of the contents, too. Thank you so much to her.SERVICE ACTIVITIESDistribution of Christmas Parcels: We again distributed over 300 Christmas parcels to local residents in Olney, Newport Pagnell and surrounding villages.Christmas Tree Festival: Lions Nur and Sylvia did a great job on our tree for the Christmas Tree Festival. Beautiful and very Christmassy.Country Music Concert at Penny House: One of our members did a little cowboy gig for the residents of Penny House at the very handsome McCarthy Stone residential home, here in Olney. The folks seem to have enjoyed it; we all dressed up, ate cowboy grub, and had a good old sing song to some classic tunes. Many thanks to Charlotte, of McS, for inviting us along to play, and for a handsome donation to our Charity Fund.Lions Recycling Projects: We collected around 1,250 pairs of unused specs from Specsavers in Newport Pagnell and from Punch Opticians in Olney.MEETINGS and SOCIAL EVENTSNo time for socials this month! That%u2019s all folks!(Registered Charity Number 1184025)