ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—This summer, the Rays and Suncoast Credit Union will host the 15th 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 24 hours during the summer months.

The program officially begins on Sunday, June 5 with the return of in-person reading events with Rays players. Right-handed pitcher Pete Fairbanks will read several books to children from the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay mentoring program prior to the Rays game against the Chicago White Sox.

Participating libraries track students’ progress and award prizes for reaching certain goals, including two free tickets to a Rays game. Reading with the Rays is made possible with the help of the Tampa Bay Times Newspaper in Education and public library systems in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Citrus, Polk, Pasco, Hernando, Sarasota and Charlotte counties. Kids can pick up their Reading with the Rays game card at a participating library, or they can download a game card at RaysBaseball.com/Reading.

“We believe that through reading, children are empowered in school and better prepared for life,” said Executive Director of Suncoast Credit Union Foundation Cindy Helton. “This program encourages children to read, and we look forward to seeing thousands of hours logged this summer as a result of this program.”

Since the program’s inception in 2007, over 400,000 children across nine area counties have spent more than 2.55 million hours of their summers reading.

For more information about the program, visit RaysBaseball.com/Reading.

Suncoast Credit Union

Suncoast Credit Union is the largest credit union in the state of Florida, the 10th largest in the United States based on membership, and the 10th largest in the United States based on its $15+ billion in assets. Chartered in 1934 as Hillsborough County Teachers Credit Union, Suncoast Credit Union currently operates 75 full-service branches and serves more than one million members in 40 counties 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 $36 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 SuncoastCreditUnion.com.

The Rays Baseball Foundation

The Rays Baseball Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization and the official charity of the Tampa Bay Rays, is dedicated to improving the lives of those in need within our community, focusing primarily on education, youth development, wellness and social responsibility. Key contributors to the Foundation include Rays owners, players, corporate partners, fans and employees.