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Business Beat: 27th BankRI Holiday Giving Tree brightens the season with nearly 7,000 gifts
Photo: Navigant – Anthony Boivin, Universal Banker; Lydia Himmighoefer, Teller Supervisor; Lori Casale, Senior Teller; and Jeffrey Elliott, Plainfield Pike Branch Manager. The Cranston branch partnered with CCAP, collecting more than 100 gifts for local children.
The holidays promise to be brighter for underprivileged children across Rhode Island thanks to the kindness and generosity of the community. In its 27th year, the Bank Rhode Island (BankRI) Holiday Giving Tree led to 6,944 gifts, making this year one of the biggest in the program’s history.
Most importantly, the thousands of presents have been given to the bank’s nonprofit partners, who have begun distributing them to the local families and children they serve, ensuring they’ll reach their new homes for the upcoming holidays.
“Our Holiday Giving Tree captures not only the spirit of the season, but the generosity and compassion of the program’s loyal supporters who donate gifts to bring joy to children during this special time of year,” said Will Tsonos, President and CEO of BankRI. “I’m grateful to everyone who gave.”
This year’s Holiday Giving Tree began on Friday, November 1, with BankRI displaying giving trees in all 22 of its branches. Each giving tree was decorated with ornaments featuring the name, age, and holiday wish of a child served by that branch’s nonprofit partner. For six weeks, bank customers, staff, and members of the community visited their local branch to select ornaments, later returning to place their donated gifts beneath the tree.
The bank’s Pawtucket branch totaled 783 gifts to benefit Adoption Rhode Island, followed by Woonsocket collecting 763 presents for Connecting for Children & Families. In Lincoln, 757 gifts went to the Town of Lincoln’s Holiday Basket Program, and Johnston provided 598 gifts for kids supported by Tri-County Community Action Agency.
Some of the most popular gifts donated were LEGO and Play-Doh sets, sports equipment, dolls, science kits, plush toys, skateboards, and remote-controlled cars.
The complete list of partner nonprofits for BankRI’s 2024 Holiday Giving Tree program is:
- Adoption Rhode Island
- Aids Care Ocean State
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of RI
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Warwick
- Comprehensive Community Action Program
- Connecting for Children & Families
- Domestic Violence Program of Crossroads RI
- East Bay Community Action Program
- Jonnycake Center for Hope
- Kingstown Crossings
- Lucy’s Hearth
- Operation Stand Down Rhode Island
- SSTARbirth
- Town of Lincoln Holiday Basket Program
- Tri-County Community Action Agency