Effort will create hub for health, wellness,
education, workforce development and other resources for residents
of Central Falls
WESTERLY, R.I., June 3, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Washington Trust ("the Bank") today
announced the Washington Trust Charitable Foundation has
awarded $125,000 to the City of Central Falls to support the
development of "El Centro," a centralized community hub that will
provide significant health, wellness, and workforce development
resources for the community. The five-year grant will support the
planning, programming, and ongoing redevelopment of the building
that will become future home of El Centro at 702 Broad Street.
El Centro will be a one-stop, centralized, culturally responsive
resource that will connect all Central
Falls residents and employees with the health, mental
health, wellness, fitness, educational, workforce development, and
other wraparound support necessary to thrive. The Central Falls
Office of Constituent Services and Health, which will also be
housed at El Centro, will expand to oversee liaisons (from existing
service providers, where possible) for support and services such as
the Domestic Violence Task Force, Behavioral & Mental Health,
Public Safety Behavioral Health, Afterschool and Summer Education,
Workforce Development and Small Business Assistance, and more.
"Washington Trust is thrilled to invest in the El Centro
initiative in partnership with the leadership team of the
City of Central Falls," said
Edward O. "Ned" Handy III, Washington Trust Chairman and CEO. "This
transformative project will provide and centralize critically
needed community services for underserved residents and their
families. We look forward to celebrating the success of the
positive outcomes as the project gets underway!"
"We are grateful for the impactful support of Washington Trust
that's visible throughout our city, from school programming to
helping us make our dream of El Centro a reality," said
Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera. "El Centro will be life-changing
for our residents, and none of its future resources or work would
be possible without the generous support of our community partners
who help our families thrive."
Washington Trust also provides financial education support and
programming for several schools in Central Falls, including: Calcutt Middle School, Central Falls Senior High
School, The Learning Community Charter School, and Segue Institute
for Learning. Through the Bank's financial literacy program, all
schools are provided with free financial education software,
classroom materials, and the opportunity for Washington Trust
employees to teach relevant financial wellness topics.
In 2024, Washington Trust employees also facilitated an 8-week
after-school "Money Madness" club at The Learning Community Charter
School, where Bank employees worked with middle grade students to
explore financial topics such as saving, investing, and building a
business. The Bank also recently hosted a Career Speed-Networking
session, where Bank leaders had the opportunity to meet with all
8th grade students in small groups to discuss the
variety of career opportunities available in the banking
industry.
To learn more about Washington Trust's commitment to the
community, visit their website or follow Washington Trust on
Facebook, X, and Instagram.
ABOUT WASHINGTON
TRUST®
Founded in 1800, Washington
Trust is recognized as the oldest community bank in the
nation, the largest state-chartered bank headquartered in
Rhode Island and one of the
Northeast's premier financial services companies. Washington Trust
values its role as a community bank and is committed to helping the
people, businesses, and organizations of New England improve their
financial lives. The Bank offers a wide range of commercial
banking, mortgage banking, personal
banking and wealth management services through its
offices in Rhode Island,
Connecticut and
Massachusetts and a full suite of convenient digital tools.
Washington Trust is a member of the FDIC and an equal housing
lender. Washington Trust is a subsidiary of Washington Trust
Bancorp, Inc., a publicly-owned holding company which trades on
NASDAQ: WASH. For more information, visit the Bank's website
at www.washtrust.com or the Corporation's website
at ir.washtrust.com.
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SOURCE The Washington Trust Company