FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Elizabeth Eckel, SVP Marketing, 401-348-1309
DATE: January 25, 2006

Washington Trust to Sponsor Blood Drive at Bonnet Shores Branch

January 25, 2006 (Westerly, RI) . . . On Thursday, February 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., The Washington Trust Company and the Rhode Island Blood Center will hold a blood drive at the Bank's Bonnet Shores office at 885 Boston Neck Road in Narragansett, R.I.

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.

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?

Many people think that they are not eligible to donate blood when, in fact, they are. The Food & Drug Administration, the regulating government body for blood centers, is constantly reviewing their guidelines for blood donor eligibility. Most medications, including insulin, aspirin, high blood pressure and allergy medication do not necessarily preclude someone from donating blood. In fact, 90% of medications are acceptable.

As an added incentive, individuals who donate blood four times between March 1, 2005 and February 28, 2006 will receive a print of a Richard Benjamin photograph. Benjamin, the Rhode Island Blood Center's Seasons' Pass artist for 2005-2006, has a reputation as a fine-art landscape and cityscape photographer. After serving as a staff photographer for 27 years at the Providence Journal, Benjamin published two coffee table books, establishing himself as one of the area's most gifted photographers.

For more information about blood donation contact Kathleen Connolly at the Rhode Island Blood Center at (401) 453-8555 or visit www.ribc.org.

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 wealth 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.