ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay 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, the Rays hosted the first of several reading events throughout the summer, according to the organizations. Rays pitcher Ian Seymour read several books to 2nd and 3rd grade students at Tampa Bay Boulevard Elementary School in Tampa.
“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,” Seymour said in a statement “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.”
More Than 500,000 Kids Involved
According to the organizations, since the program’s inception, more than 585,000 children across 12 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, the organizations said.
‘A Favorite Summer Tradition’
“Reading with the Rays is one of our favorite summer traditions,” SCU VP-Community Impact Bob Hyde said in a statement. “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.
