Local Tim Hortons owners John-Paul and Tanya Doucette present the Foundation of Red Deer Public Schools with a cheque for the Reading College. Red Deer Emergency Services, who were instrumental in supporting the fundraiser, were also in attendance. (rdnewsNOW/Ashley Lavallee-Koenig)

By Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

$76,625 RAISED

Record-high raised for Reading College through smile cookie campaign

Jun 18, 2024 | 3:55 PM

This year’s annual Tim Hortons smile cookie campaign sold 50,000 cookies and raised a record-high of $76,625 to donate to the Reading College, a program offered by the Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools.

The program has been strengthening the literacy skills of students for 13 years, and Tim Hortons has chosen it as its charity of choice for close to half that time.

“Getting a donation like this really ensures that this program, we’re going to have no worries about running it for the next year. That’s a real load off the Foundation’s shoulders to know that we have the funds to run the program,” said Kristine Plastow, chair of the Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools.

The Reading College runs for an entire month in the summer and is free for students to attend. It specifically offers support to students leaving the second grade and entering into the third.

“One of the reasons the program is so important is that the reading level of students leaving Grade 2 into Grade 3 is actually a predictor of high school graduation, or success in high school,” Plastow explained.

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Students are bussed to and from the program and provided breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Morning sessions focus on reading, writing, and word work. In the afternoon, the class reads stories, works on sight words, and does some fun activities.

The cheque for the donation was presented at Don Campbell Elementary School, which has seven students attending the program this summer. Including these students, this year’s class has 71 student participants and eight teachers, who will attend the program during the month of July.

Across the lifetime of the program, over 700 students have received support with their reading and writing skills.

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