CONTACT: Elizabeth Eckel, SVP Marketing, 401-348-1309
DATE: May 25, 2005
Washington Trust to Sponsor Blood Drive at its Main Office
Westerly, Rhode Island... On Thursday, June 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., The Washington Trust Company and the Rhode Island Blood Center will hold a blood drive across the street from the Bank's main office in Westerly in the Blood Center's Mobile Donor Coach. The Coach will parked in front of The Bean Counter at 2 Broad Street, Westerly.If you would like to donate blood, be sure that you meet the following requirements:
- You must be at least 17 years of age
- You must weigh 110 pounds or more
- You should be in overall good health
Before donating blood, you should drink plenty of healthy fluids, including water, and eat a good meal. You may donate blood as often as once every eight weeks, and are urged to do so, since blood is perishable and donations are needed every day in order to keep an adequate supply at RIBC.
For more information about blood donation contact Kathleen Connolly at the Rhode Island Blood Center at (401) 453-8555 or visit www.ribc.org.
In addition to accepting blood donations, anyone interested in registering as a marrow donor may do so during the drive on June 2. To register as a marrow donor you must meet the following requirements:
- You must be between 18 and 60 years old
- You must be in good health
- You must be willing to donate to any patient in need
Please bring your health insurance card with you to register since the blood test is covered. (If you do not have health insurance the test will be covered by Michael's Fund of Fall River.) You will be asked to fill out a registration form and will then have a small vial of blood drawn. The process for registering takes about 15 minutes. If you would like more information about marrow donation, contact Susan Dean at the Rhode Island Blood Center at 1-800-283-8385, ext. 418, or visit the Blood Center's Web Site, www.ribc.org, or the Web Site for the National Marrow Donor Program, www.marrow.org.
Some Facts About Donating Blood:
- Did you know that even though 60% of the population is eligible to give blood, only 5% of Rhode Islanders do?
- Did you know that 7 out of 10 people will need blood in their lifetime?
- Did you know that, in our community, someone needs blood every 10 minutes?
- Did you know that the Rhode Island Blood Center needs to collect some 240 pints of blood daily, regardless of holidays and weather conditions, in order to serve patients in need?
The Washington Trust Company is the largest independent bank headquartered
in Rhode Island. A state-chartered bank, Washington Trust offers
a full range of financial services, including trust and investment
management, through its 16 branch offices located in Rhode Island
and southeastern Connecticut. Founded in 1800, the Bank is a subsidiary
of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc., whose common stock trades on
The NASDAQ Stock Market® under the symbol WASH. Web site address:
www.washtrust.com.
