Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts spoke yesterday at the launch of a pilot program for a public cord blood bank — the first public cord bank in all New England — which will support research on the benefits and potential therapies of stem cells from umbilical cord blood.

Practically speaking, no option had previously existed for preserving cord blood as private banking was unaffordable for many. Several women present agreed that they would have donated their child’s cord blood in a heartbeat had the option existed. If even a fraction of women having babies in Rhode Island donate cord blood, it has the potential to change the lives of many.

We heard one such story from a mother whose teenage son is now in remission following stem cell therapy for treatment of leukemia. Without stem cell therapy she doubted her son would be alive today.

This is the kind of profound difference we can make in individual lives, achievable when government partners with the private sector on major policy direction, and Lieutenant Governor Roberts promises to seek out these opportunities.

I like Elizabeth Roberts. Some people think the only solution to our state’s current economic crisis is to rile up anti-immigrant sentiments and chat on talk radio about how much he would love to eliminate the state income tax. It’s nice to see someone up top paying attention to real solutions for building Rhode Island’s economy.

The Lt. Gov. is doing just that with a new “Buy Local RI” campaign to support locally-owned businesses.

From the press release:

“The economy in Rhode Island is struggling,” Roberts said. “As we look at our economy turning down, we need to invest our dollars here in Rhode Island. One of the best things we can do is to support local businesses. We know that Rhode Island is home to thousands of unique artists, artisans, retailers, manufacturers, cafes, restaurants and farmers whose small businesses are locally owned and crucial to our neighborhoods, our quality of life, and Rhode Island’s overall economy.”

In the works for the Buy Local RI campaign are a few “Main Street” events in Westerly, Greenville, Wickford, Warren, Newport, and even our little village of Providence.

Roberts wants to encourage folks to shop at local businesses for their holiday gift shopping. So, yes, skip that sterile shopping mall and buy your grandma a bag of coffee from White Electric or a trinket from Oop!