ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays and Suncoast Credit Union have launched the 13th 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 read for 24 hours to avoid summer learning loss. Typically a summer-based program, this year’s program launches early for kids at home participating in distance learning due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Rather than visiting participating libraries, parents and kids will download a digital game card at RaysBaseball.com/Reading to begin reading around the bases. Once complete, participants will submit their game card via email to [email protected] in order to receive special Rays prizes, including two (2) tickets to a future home game.

“Reading is a vital component to a child’s education and helps prepare them for a bright future,” said Executive Director of Suncoast Credit Union Foundation Cindy Helton. “Helping to provide students with educational tools is part of our DNA. We’re excited to see thousands of hours logged this summer.”

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. The launch includes a Reading with the Rays special insert in the digital version of the Tampa Bay Times. The insert will also be sent directly to all public schools in the nine-county area to encourage parents and kids to download the digital game card.

Since the program’s inception in 2007, over 300,000 children across nine area counties have spent more than 2.5 million hours of their summers reading. For more information, visit RaysBaseball.com/Reading.