Over 500 People Attended the 2nd Annual CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday™ in Monterey, CA

MONTEREY, Calif. - Sept. 11, 2014 - PRLog -- CIG Insurance’s 2^nd Annual CIG Community Safety Saturday™ was held on September 6, 2014 at Capital Insurance Group’s corporate headquarters located at 2300 Garden Road in Monterey.  The free, family-friendly event attracted more than 500 attendees.  Children, teens and adults alike received a wealth of safety-related information and resources from 30 local, regional, and national organizations.

Capital Insurance Group ® (CIG) established these popular family and community events in 2010 and has held Community Safety Saturday events throughout California and Nevada. During the Opening Ceremony, CIG and Marc Klaas were honored with Certificates of Recognition from United States Congressman Sam Farr and California Senator Bill Monning. CIG also received a Proclamation from the City of Monterey and Certificates were presented from the cities of Seaside, Marina and Sand City. Seaside Mayor Ralph Rubio and Del Rey Oaks Mayor Jerry Edelen spoke about the importance of the event to the community and thanked all the participants, especially first responders.

Proudly sponsored by KION News Channel 5 and Telemundo, the event was part learning, part fun, with lots of safety information for everyone.  Children delighted in watching the famous dog, “Whiskie the Whale Spotter”^™ perform whale tricks as they listened to Peggy Stap of Marine Life Studies talk about safety on and around the water. A big crowd watched the exciting “Jaws of Life” demonstration, which included life-saving tools and equipment used by first responders. Parents and teens met with Kathy and Fred Forgnone, parents who lost their daughter in a car crash, and Officer Jaime Rios from the CHP to learn about the Start Smart Teen Driving Education Program.

Walt Bennett, CIG Vice President of Underwriting & Actuary explains, “We are absolutely delighted at the turnout.  The more we can expose our community to all the safety and security resources that are publicly available, the greater the chances are that tragedies can be averted – or at least we can ease someone’s suffering when something does occur. At CIG, we are committed to improving the quality of life in those communities where we do business.”

More children will ride safely thanks to the child car-seat inspections.

The child car-seat safety inspection station was operated by the California Highway Patrol Office–Merced County. Expert technicians checked 50 vehicles for proper installation and found an 83% rate of misuse. They gave parents and caregivers critical information about installing car seats correctly for their particular child and vehicle. California Law restricts where and how a child may occupy a vehicle, based on the child’s age and height. They also educated parents on the dangers of leaving children in a hot car.

Over 200 children were finger printed at the KlaasKids Foundation Print-A-Thon.

The KlaasKids Foundation Print-A-Thon was offered at the event, providing free child identification tools including digital fingerprinting, photo IDs, take-home DNA kits, and more.  Marc Klaas reports, “We have facilitated Print-A-Thon events throughout the United States for almost 20 years with a variety of community-minded sponsors, and this event is a huge success – we served over 200 children!”

For more information about CIG Insurance Community Safety Saturday events, please visit www.CIGsafetysaturday.com (http://www.cigsafetysaturday.com/turlock)

About Capital Insurance Group:

Capital Insurance Group® (CIG) is the leading regional property and casualty insurer serving the Western U.S. since 1898. CIG insures Personal Auto, Homeowners, Farmowners, Condo Owners, Vacation Property, Renters, Apartment Building Owners, and many kinds of Commercial and Agricultural Auto and Property. The more than 115 year-old company is rated “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best, the independent financial monitor of the insurance industry. CIG manages personal, business, and agriculture risks underwritten by its affiliate companies: California Capital Insurance Company, Eagle West Insurance Company, Nevada Capital Insurance Company, and Monterey Insurance Company. Types of policies may vary from state to state. For more information, please visit www.CIGinsurance.com

CIG DELIVERS MORE. Continuously. ™

About the KlaasKids Foundation

The KlaasKids Foundation was established by Marc Klaas in 1994 to give meaning to the death of his twelve-year-old daughter, kidnap and murder victim Polly Hannah Klaas, and to create a legacy in her name that would be protective of children for generations to come. The foundation’s mission is to stop crimes against children by providing education and knowledge to the general public and promoting partnerships with concerned citizens, the private sector, organizations, law enforcement and legislators. www.klaaskids.org