Community Safety Saturday returning to Turlock

There’s no end of fun family events in the region this weekend, between the Chocolate Festival in Oakdale, the Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life at Johansen High School, and the Family Cycling Festival and Criterium in downtown Modesto.

In the mix is one event, in Turlock, that includes a strong dose of family safety and health information and services. Community Safety Saturday, hosted by GDI Insurance and sponsored by Capital Insurance Group, is being offered for a fifth year.

Developed by CIG in 2010, Community Safety Saturday has been held throughout California and Nevada ever since. The event features activities, demonstrations and educational services designed to improve families’ safety and security. It includes free games, prizes, and a wealth of materials and information from many different booths staffed by local and regional organizations.

Matthew Davis, vice president of GDI Insurance Agency, has been happy to see the event grow dramatically. “Our first year, we had between 300 and 400 people attend,” he said. “Our largest years – last year and the year before were real close – we had 3,500 to 4,000.”

One of the biggest draws, Davis said, is the KlaasKids Foundation Print-A-Thon. It provides free digital photo IDs and fingerprinting for children. Parents also receive a free DNA collection kit, child-safety tips, and a nine-point plan on what to do if their child disappears.

It’s a terrific service that not a lot of organizations offer, he said. It’s also a service for which he advises arriving early. “One hindrance we have is they can provide service to only so many people, because there are only so many volunteers and so many computers for fingerprinting and child identification.” A line forms quickly.

But Davis pointed out that the KlaasKids services aren’t something returnees to Community Safety Saturday necessarily need every year. DNA doesn’t change, of course, and “kids grow fast, but a photo from last year still works pretty well,” he said. He also said that no child’s DNA gets entered into a database through the service; it’s simply provided to parents so it’s on hand should a child go missing.

Children attending Saturday should especially enjoy what local law enforcement and fire agencies have to offer. The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department will do K-9 demonstrations and have vehicles to check out. “The Sheriff’s Department is always out here with cool things,” Davis said. “They like to change it up every year. Last year, the bomb squad had its robot here, this year it’s the K-9 unit.”

The Turlock Police Department is to bring a police squad car and McGruff, the Crime Prevention Dog, to share crime prevention safety tips. The Turlock Fire Department will bring a fire engine and share safety information. And American Medical Response will bring an ambulance for kids to tour.

This story was originally published May 14, 2015 at 8:58 AM with the headline "Community Safety Saturday returning to Turlock."