Essex women giving back to their local community

8th March 2023

Republished with permission from Essex Life.

Women are making their mark in Essex by using their skills, energy and entrepreneurial drive to make life better for people in the county.

An increase in the number of female philanthropists who have the insight, desire and financial ability to help others has meant that more money is being channelled towards issues affecting women.

With the month of March incorporating International Women’s Day (on 8 March) the focus is on promoting equality and creating opportunities for women to improve their lives.

Here we highlight two community-minded women who have committed to giving long-term support to local voluntary organisations in Essex by setting up their own charitable funds with the independent trust, Essex Community Foundation (ECF).

Lara Fox

Talented young businesswoman, Lara Fox, is Managing Director of Objective, a family-run Essex tech agency offering software development, data analytics and consultancy services. She is also mum to two children aged 1 and 2.

In 2019, she won the Institute of Directors, Young Director of the Year Award for the East of England, which recognises leadership talent. Lara also has a Certificate in Professional Marketing from CIM and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Essex.

Lara, who lives in Great Baddow, said: “Taking over my family business was a big step, but incredibly important to me. My mother, Cath, set up the business and we have all worked hard to make it successful.

“Supporting our local community is important to us both individually and as a business. In 2016, we decided to do something more permanent and set up the Honalee Fund with ECF.

“We focus our giving on charities in Chelmsford and have supported projects helping people who are homeless, a youth club providing activities for young people and group sessions for teenagers who have survived cancer.”

Nicki Alvey

Nicki Alvey had a successful career in marketing and senior management roles in both the private, commercial and not-for-profit sectors.

In 2002 she broadened the scope of her social endeavours when she was appointed as a Magistrate for North Essex.

In 2015, she set up her fund with ECF, called the ‘Nicki Alvey Bazlinton Trust’, with a focus on supporting women who have experienced abuse, helping young women to gain skills and confidence and reaching out to older women who might be suffering from isolation in their own homes.

Nicki, who lives in North West Essex, said: “I have seen throughout my life, including my time as a Magistrate, how women can be unfairly impacted by what is happening around them. I hope that the grants I give out annually from my fund with ECF will help Essex women and girls to get the support they need and achieve their full potential”.

Recent grants from Nicki’s fund have supported a counselling service for survivors of domestic abuse and to provide online creative workshops for young girls who are at risk of sexual exploitation.

Research shows that:

Single women tend to donate more often than single men.
Women usually favour making long-term regular donations to the same charities, whereas men prefer to make larger, one-off donations and are happy to be guided by friends and business contacts as to who to support.
Women want to give back to the causes close to their heart and will look to build a relationship with a charity.

GET INVOLVED

Whether you’re a local charity or resident or a business wanting to make a donation, we would love to hear from you.

Read more about giving back locally here.

Previous Post Next Post