Umpqua Bank supports BASIC with grant
Last updated 7/1/2016 at 6:32am
The first official day of summer has arrived and local Borrego Springs kids all are ditching their backpacks for two months of sunshine and play.
But in the midst of the fun, many students will face the notorious ‘summer slide’ – a phenomenon that often results in students losing valuable skills over the summer months. In fact, 80 percent of low income children lose more than two months of reading skills that they don’t gain back, putting them nearly three years behind higher income peers by the end of the fifth grade.
To combat this issue Umpqua Bank’s Charitable Foundation recently announced a $4,000 grant to support the Summer Reading Academy at BASIC. The program is a free, voluntary intensive summer reading program aimed to assist local third and second grade children who need an extra boost to achieve grade level proficiency.
Umpqua Bank understands the fundamental importance of education and believes staying mentally active during the slow summer months is vital for students’ long term academic success. In addition to partnering with non-profit organizations that will offer youth development activities, Umpqua created an activity packet that any parent or caregiver can access to help children stay mentally active throughout the summer.
Packets can also be picked up at your local Umpqua store. If you’re interested in learning more about Umpqua Bank’s commitment to the local Borrego Springs community and more information on Umpqua Bank’s summer slide campaign, please check out http://www.umpquabank.com/summersliderelease.
