Rays and Suncoast Credit Union Partner for the 19th Season of Reading with the Rays
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—The Rays and Suncoast Credit Union partner once again for the launch of the 19th season of Reading with the Rays—Read Your Way to the Ballpark, an incentive-based reading program that encourages Pre-K to 12th grade students to avoid summer learning loss by reading for a total of 24 hours during the summer months.
To kick off the program, on Friday, May 15, the Rays hosted the first of several reading events throughout the summer. Rays pitcher Ian Seymour read several books to 2nd and 3rd grade students at Tampa Bay Boulevard Elementary School in Tampa.
Click here for video and photos from the event.
“Reading broadens your mind. It can teach you that dreams can come true the way mine have. So anything I can do to give back and to show kids that they can accomplish what they want is special,” said Ian Seymour. “It's cool to read and reading can really change your life. I hope that they're inspired to do so and participate in the program this summer.”
Since the program’s inception, more than 585,000 children across twelve area counties have spent more than 3.7 million hours reading over the summer. Reading with the Rays is made possible with the help of public library systems and education foundations in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Hernando, Lee, Osceola, Pasco, Polk, and Sarasota counties.
Local public libraries and Suncoast Credit Union branches participating in Reading with the Rays track students’ progress and award prizes for reaching certain goals, including a Minor Savings Account voucher from Suncoast Credit Union valued at $24. Participants will also receive two complimentary tickets to select 2026 Rays home games.
“Reading with the Rays is one of our favorite summer traditions,” said Bob Hyde, Vice President of Community Impact at Suncoast Credit Union. “This program promotes literacy, and also gives families a simple, joyful way to stay connected through reading. When kids pick up that game card and see how their reading can turn into real financial rewards and a savings account of their own, it turns learning into something empowering and long-lasting.”
Students can pick up their Reading with the Rays game card at a participating library, local Suncoast Credit Union Branch, or by downloading a game card. For more information and to download a game card, visit RaysBaseball.com/Reading or RaysBeisbol.com/Leyendo.
About the Rays Up Foundation
The Rays Up Foundation, which includes the Come on You Rowdies Soccer Fund, is a 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to using the game as a catalyst to bring people together, expand opportunities, and drive meaningful change through youth empowerment, education, and supporting critical community needs on and off the field.
*About Suncoast Credit Union *
Suncoast Credit Union is the largest credit union in the state of Florida, the 7th largest in the United States based on membership, and the 10th largest in the United States based on its $20.7 billion in assets. Chartered in 1934 as Hillsborough County Teachers Credit Union, Suncoast Credit Union currently operates 80 full-service branches and serves nearly 1.4 million members across Florida. As a community credit union, anyone who lives, works, attends school, or worships in Suncoast Credit Union’s service area is eligible for membership. In 2021, Suncoast Credit Union’s field of membership was expanded to include public K-12 teachers, college educators, and educational support staff from all of Florida’s 67 counties. Suncoast is passionate about community support. Since its founding in 1990, the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation has raised and donated more than $61 million to organizations and initiatives that support the health, education, and emotional well-being of children in the communities that the credit union serves. For more information, visit suncoast.com or follow us on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.