Rays And Suncoast Credit Union Partner for the 19th Season of Reading With The Rays

TAMPA, Fla. (May 15, 2026) – The Rays and Suncoast Credit Union will 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. The 2026 season of Reading with the Rays will begin on Sunday, May 17.

To kick off the program, the Rays will host the first of several reading events throughout the summer. On Friday, May 15 from 11 a.m. to noon, a Rays player will read several books to students at Tampa Bay Boulevard Elementary School in Tampa.

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

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 Cuenta de Ahorros para menores 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 made possible with the help of public library systems and education foundations in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Hernando, Lee, Osceola, Pasco, Polk, Sarasota counties. 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 at RaysBaseball.com/Reading, or for Spanish, at RaysBeisbol.com/Leyendo.

“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.”

Media interested in attending the event on Friday, May 15, should RSVP to De Anna Sheffield
Ward at DWard@RaysBaseball.com. Please note, this event is not open to the public.