(Mid Oregon Branch Manager, Lara Eckstine, volunteers as a reading buddy with the One-to-One SMART program in Sisters | Photo courtesy of Mid Oregon Credit Union)
Mid Oregon Credit Union Spring 2025 fundraiser begins on Monday, April 7 to benefit SMART Reading. Mid Oregon members and the community are invited to donate online or at any one of Mid Oregon’s branches. One hundred percent of the funds will stay in the community where they are collected and be used to support the SMART Reading programs in those local schools.
“In 2024, our Mid Oregon members and staff raised $5,900 for SMART,” said, Kyle Frick, SVP Marketing and Community Relations. “We are proud to support this amazing program that provides children reading, literacy, and learning skills that improve their achievement in school and life!”
SMART’s role is to provide children with two proven ingredients for literacy success: one-on-one reading time and access to books. In their One-to-One SMART program, volunteers model the joy of reading and/or support the child’s efforts to read independently during shared reading experiences. Students also choose two books per month to keep and read with their families to help continue their learning.
“Reading is a critical skill for kids, enabling them to succeed in school and beyond. Right now, over 60 percent of Oregon third graders are not reading on grade level.” said Jennifer Zardinejad, Central and Northeast Area Director of SMART Reading. “This is a huge concern for our whole community because third grade is the pivotal year when kids are expected to transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.”
Online donations can be made at: midoregon.com/community/smart-reading-fundraiser.shtml
Mid Oregon Credit Union is a full-service, member-owned financial cooperative headquartered in and serving Central Oregonians since 1957. With almost 50,000 members in Deschutes, Jefferson, Crook, Wheeler, Lake, and North Klamath Counties and close to $759 million in assets, Mid Oregon partners with members to meet their financial needs and to help them achieve their dreams. Mid Oregon was named a Top Workplace in Oregon and Southwest Washington for 2022, 2023, and 2024. It was also ranked the #1 credit union in Oregon by Forbes for 2023 and 2024 and received the Bend Bulletin’s Best of the Best of Bend Community Choice Award in the credit union category for 2023 and 2024.
SMART READING SMART Reading is a children’s literacy nonprofit that serves kids in Oregon’s highest need schools with two ingredients critical for literacy and learning success: one-on-one reading time and access to books. SMART Reading mobilizes volunteers to read with PreK through third-grade children, building confidence, literacy skills and a love of reading. SMART Reading provides a meaningful way for Oregonians to make a direct impact in their communities. Since 1992, SMART Reading has steadily grown to become Oregon’s largest volunteer literacy program. Kids in the program receive 14 new books throughout the school year to keep and read with their families.
midoregon.com • smartreading.org • 877-598-4633
