To help brighten the holiday season for underprivileged children, Bank Rhode Island (BankRI) kicked-off its annual Holiday Giving Tree program in late November. Over the course of the following four weeks, customers and staff donated generously, resulting in more than 665 gifts for hundreds of local children.
In Smithfield, customers and staff of the Bank’s local branch provided nearly 90 gifts for children served through Tri-Town Community Action. Some of the most popular items given included Lego sets, arts and crafts, children’s books, Transformers, and princess toys.
“The Holiday Giving Tree program is an effort that everyone at BankRI looks forward to each year as an opportunity to spread holiday cheer to children who may otherwise not receive gifts,” said Mark J. Meiklejohn, President and CEO of BankRI. “Each year, I continue to be amazed at the outpouring of support shown by our customers and staff, and this year is no different—it truly captures the spirit of the season to help others.”
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Beginning on November 22, each of BankRI’s 18 branches displayed a Holiday Giving Tree in its lobby and partnered with a non-profit that provided each location with the wish lists of children they serve. Each child’s holiday wish was then placed on an ornament and hung on the tree, allowing bank customers and staff to select one representing a child in need and provide that child with a gift for the holiday. Donors then returned to their branch to place the gifts beneath the Holiday Giving Tree, where they were picked up by the benefiting organizations for distribution prior to the December holiday.
