MidFlorida FCU Gives Students The Gift OfReading

LAKELAND, Fla. - (05/01/06) – As many as 100 volunteersorganized by MidFlorida FCU will fan out around five surroundingcounties over the next month to read to students and help preparethem for summer vacation. The credit union’s plan is to give12,000 students the ‘Gift of Reading.’ At the end ofeach session every student will be given a hardcover copy of thebook of choice, ‘Sakes Alive A Cattle Drive,’ which wasselected by a volunteer committee of the Polk County School Board.I'll be reading to the kindergarten classes at Lincoln AvenueAcademy in Lakeland next week and I'm really looking forward to it.I hope to make it fun for the kids and plan to wear a 10-galloncowboy hat for effect, said Kevin Jones, president of the $1billion credit union. The other counties participating in thespecial reading program are DeSoto, Hardee, Highland, andOkeechobee. Separately, MidFlorida FCU announced last week it hasacquired Lakeland-based Regional Community FCU, a $25 millioncredit union, in a merger.