Washington Trust Announces $125,000 Charitable Donation to Support City of Central Falls' El Centro Initiative

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Jun 03, 2024, 10:00 ET

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.

The City of Central Falls received a $125,000 grant from the Washington Trust Charitable Foundation in support of the 'El Centro' Initiative. From L to R: Rolando Lora, Executive Vice President, Chief Retail Lending Officer and Director of Community Lending at Washington Trust; Maria Rivera, Mayor of the City of Central Falls; Zuleyma Gomez, Director of the Office of Constituent Services and Health for the City of Central Falls; and Edward O. "Ned" Handy III, Chairman & CEO at Washington Trust.

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 8^th 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 onNASDAQ: WASH. For more information, visit the Bank's website at www.washtrust.com or the Corporation's website at ir.washtrust.com.