St. Cloud Rox Reading Program Inspires 20,000 Local Students

The St. Cloud Rox Reading Program had another great year in 2026. The program, which began in 2012, now sees nearly 20,000 students from 59 elementary schools taking part.

“The Reading Program is helping inspire thousands of kids to read outside of the classroom and over the years we have seen how it has created a love to read for many students in our community,” said Scott Schreiner, Managing Partner for the Rox in a press release. “It’s truly a team effort between not only the students and Rox staff, but teachers, parents, school support staff, and administrators. Of course, the program isn’t where it is today without Magnifi Financial who has been a partner with the Rox Reading Program since its inception.”

Teachers decide a target number of reading minutes for the students. Those who read for the required number of minutes earn a pair of tickets to a Rox game and a team drawstring backpack.

Three students who finish the program will receive a $250 Magnifi Financial savings account. Magnifi will also award three $250 gift cards to teachers and one, $1,000 cash prize for one school to upgrade its library.

"It’s incredibly rewarding to see so many students across Central Minnesota engaging with reading through this program," said Gary Meyer, Senior Vice President of Retail Banking at Magnifi Financial. "We’re honored to support an initiative that promotes literacy, builds confidence, and strengthens skills that students will carry with them into the future."

In total, over 177,000 students in Central Minnesota have participated in the program since 2012.

The St. Cloud Rox open their 2026 home schedule on May 29th against Bismarck.  The Rox can be heard all season long on AM 1390 and FM 93.9 Granite City Sports.