Funds Raised for SMART Reading Stay Local, and Support In-School Reading Engagement Programs for Kids

Mid Oregon Credit Union’s inaugural SMART Reading fundraiser raised more than $5,900 with one hundred percent of funds staying in each of the six local communities where they were collected.  

From April 8-26, Mid Oregon’s members and the community generously responded by making donations at credit union branches, online at midoregon.com, and over the phone. Many chose to write on cut-out books, sharing favorite book titles, authors, quotes, and encouragement for young readers.  

SMART Reading donations were also accepted during Mid Oregon’s annual Free Shred event with Republic Services on Saturday, April 20. The one-day event raised $1,490 and shredded over 7,700 pounds of documents for more than 270 participants in Bend, Madras, Prineville, and Redmond. 

The local breakdown of donations was: $772 for Bend community, $1,700 for La Pine community, $974 for Madras community, $410 for Prineville community, $731 for Redmond community, and $1,350 for Sisters community. 

With over 60% of Oregon third graders currently not meeting reading benchmarks, this is a critical time for improving literacy rates. “Mid Oregon Members and SMART Reading committed to make an impact to improve literacy in Central Oregon’s communities,” says Kyle Frick, VP of Marketing and Community Relations at Mid Oregon. “We are consistently impressed by the generosity of our members in support of these valuable community initiatives.”