People Learn that "Safety is No Accident" at CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday™

TURLOCK, Calif. - May 27, 2014 - PRLog -- Turlock, CA (May 2014) – “This is our fourth year hosting CIG Community Safety Saturday and it is our best event ever!” noted Grant Davis, President of GDI Insurance.  “We had additional organizations participate this year including Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Sheriff’s Department, Police Department, Fire Department, CHP, KlaasKids and more. Thanks to our partnership with Capital Insurance Group (CIG) this event brings the Who’s Who in community and family safety together in one location.”

It wasn’t long before cars started lining up for the child car safety seat inspections, which is always a key activity at CIG Community Safety Saturday. Over 35 free car safety seat inspections were conducted by trained technicians from the Turlock Police Department, California Highway Patrol and other safety organizations. Marc Klaas, father of Polly Klaas and founder of KlaasKids Foundation said ”140 children were served with the Print-A-Thon program this year.” Along with the fingerprint and photo ID docs for every child, Klaas also presented parents with a suite of child safety tools. He noted, “CIG and GDI take child safety very seriously. We appreciate their dedication and support. We are thrilled to have participated in all four of these safety events.”

Safe driving is another focus of the event. The CHP presented information about the Start Smart driving program for teens. Davis added, “We are committed to doing everything we can to help educate teens about safe driving and we encourage parents to register their teen drivers for this free class. The information they learn may save their lives!”

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a new participant at GDI’s event. The “MADD Crash Car Exhibit” is an effective exhibit demonstrating the dangers of drinking and driving and riding with an impaired driver.  Victoria Flores, MADD Chapter Leader and Victim Advocate stated, “I’m really happy to be here - this has been a very positive experience. Many people found it hard to believe that the exhibit was a real crash car. There has been a lot of interaction and interest from the community.”

Also new this year, the Stanislaus Sheriff’s Department featured many vehicles with demonstrations and tours by its S.W.A.T. Team, Bomb Squad including their robots, Dive Team, Search and Rescue, Special Vehicles and K-9 Units. According to Stanislaus County Sheriff Department Deputy Jason Braley, who is a member of the S.W.A.T. Team, “We came out to show some of our tools which we use to do high risk type of service for the community. The children have been interested in the robot but they’ve also seen some other exciting equipment that they’ve really enjoyed. We let them go inside the Lenco Bearcat, our armored vehicle, and they had a great time in there looking out the ports and windows.” Deputy Terrance Shadel of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department was part of the Dive Team display and showed two types of diving equipment to event attendees. He explained, “Kids are really interested and have asked a lot of questions about the dive helmets and equipment we have here today, how we use it and what it takes to become a diver.”

Many elected officials and their representatives came to the CIG Community Safety Saturday event and presented proclamations and certificates of recognition to CIG Insurance, GDI Insurance Agency and KlaasKids Foundation. Expressing appreciation, Davis said, “It’s wonderful to be recognized by the United States Congress, the California Senate, the City of Turlock, and the local Supervisors from the County for this important work! We share this recognition with all who participated.”my Bublak

CIG Community Safety Saturday featured the following attractions and activities:

·  The Turlock Police Department and CHP provided complimentary child car seat safety inspections.

·  Marc Klaas provided free photo IDs and fingerprinting for every child at the KlaasKids Foundation Print-A-Thon.

·  Turlock Police Department VIPS (Volunteers in Police Service) brought crime prevention and neighborhood watch information.

·   California Highway Patrol brought safety handouts and information about its Start Smart Driver Education classes available statewide for teens and their parents and took sign-ups for its upcoming class.

· Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department brought its S.W.A.T. Team, Bomb Squad, Dive Team, Search and Rescue, Special Vehicles and K-9 Units.

· Turlock Fire Department brought a fire engine and safety information.

· MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) - Fresno Chapter brought its “Crash Car” Exhibit and information about the dangers of drinking and driving.

·American Red Cross provided emergency preparedness information.

·Boy Scouts of America–Greater Yosemite Council offered information about its local Boy Scout troops.

·Girl Scouts Heart of Central California provided informational brochures and showed how to make a first aid kit.

·Friends of Turlock Animal Shelter brought its mobile adoption trailer, stickers and information about pet safety, plus they had drawings for a pet first aid kit.

·Creative Alternatives Foster Family Agency provided information about foster care as well as child abuse and neglect.

·Jessica’s House provided information about its peer support groups for children and teens that have experienced the death of a loved one.

·Monkey Business of Emmanuel Cancer Center brought information about its support group for children when a loved one has cancer.

·OHS DUI Program shared information about the DUI (Driving Under the Influence) programs in the area.

·Turlock Irrigation District provided electricity safety information and Dexter Duck coloring books.

· United Way of Stanislaus County had an information booth and handouts about their 2-1-1 program.

· The U.S. Forest Service gave out informational brochures about its One Less Spark campaign and other materials to promote fire prevention.

· American Medical Response brought an ambulance for kids to tour.

Jeff Batozech, Northern California Regional Field Executive for CIG, remarked, "We are proud to partner with GDI Insurance, the KlaasKids Foundation and all of the participants to put on this important event. It is great to see so many families and children enjoy the activities and learning about safety at CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday.”

For more information about GDI Insurance and CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and The Protector Network Blog. www.ciginsurance.com