Back to School Calender's for Keller ISD and Surrounding Areas

The month of August has arrived! WOW! With that being said, August means.....

BACK TO SCHOOL!!!! 

With a show of hands, how many of y'all have kiddos that are excited about gong back to school? I figured I could ask that in a blog because I'm pretty confident that no one would raise their hands so it wouldn't matter if I can't see y'all. :)

Here's another question for y'all? Now you don't have to raise your hands for this one. I know the answer but I'm going to ask anyway. How many parents are ready for their kiddos to go back to school? And not because you need a break, of course, but because it's time for them to get their learn on. I'm with you. It's time to get their minds back into learning and off the screens. Am I right?! 

Guess what I have for you today! School start dates AND the 2018/2019 school calendars for Keller, Northwest, Grapevine Colleyville, Southake Carroll, Fort Worth, Birdville and Eagle Mountain Saginaw ISDs. Click the links below for your kiddos school district and POOF their calendar will pop up! 

August 15th is the first day of school for:

Keller ISD

August 27th is the first day of school for:

Northwest ISD

August 20th is the first day of school for:

Southlake Carroll ISD

Fort Worth ISD

Birdville ISD

Eagle Mountain Sagniaw ISD

Have a great 2018-2019 school year!!

ATV Got Your Shoe?

Who doesn’t love a day off? When you do get a day off, what do you like to do? Are you the type that likes to just relax, watch some TV or maybe catch up on some reading? Or are you the other type; the one that can’t sit still and must be doing something like tearing up some land on a 4 wheeler? We all have our ideas of what relaxing is, right? We all unwind in our own way.

Speaking of 4 wheelers or ATV type toys, did you know it’s just as important to have them covered like you would for your home and auto? You didn’t? Well it is very important to have those “toys” insured. Why, you ask? Let me tell you about an insured that was in a pretty bad ATV accident, injuring himself and a guest that was staying with him and his family. Thankfully, the insured had coverage on his ATV. While both he and his guest walked away, it was not without an ER visit, some stitches, a concussion and a pretty major surgery.

Even when we are being as safe as possible, accidents can and will happen. That’s where we come in. In this situation, they jumped on the ATV and were about to take a ride around the insured's property. The culprit… a shoe lace… I’m going to date myself a bit but do you remember the movie, “Footloose”? When Kevin Bacon is the new guy in town and is forced into playing chicken on a couple tractors with the “it” guy in town. Ren’s (Kevin’s character) shoe lace gets caught around the gas pedal and he can’t move his foot to hit the break? In the end, because he couldn’t break the “it” guy went into the ditch, causing Ren to win! Awesome, right?! Similar situation with our insured in that his shoe got stuck between the gas and the side of the ATV, while in reverse and they flipped backward onto the insured and his guest.

With all that being said, the good thing is, the insured was fully insured so he and his guest were taken care of. The guest’s medical bills and even time he had to take off of work for recovery was covered because the insured made sure that he had the right insurance in case of an accident on his property. So in his case, having the right insurance really was NO accident.

Something like this can happen not just on an ATV. It can happen on things we don't think about like dirt bikes, golf carts, boats, go-carts, snowmobiles and many more off road vehicles. This is why we want to make sure you have all the coverage you need. We are always willing to look over your policies to make sure that you do. Schedule a Farmers Friendly Review today because again, having the right insurance is NO accident. Or like Farmers Insurance says, “We know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two.”

Umbrellas! That’s What’s Up!

Do you have a dog? What about stairs in your home? Do you have a yard with a pool and/or a swing set for nice summer days? Do you drive a car of any kind? OH!!! What about a 4 wheeler? If you said yes to any of these questions you should definitely have an Umbrella. Not the kind of umbrella that protects you from rain or sun. Not that kind. You need Umbrella Insurance.

What is Umbrella Insurance? To put it simply, it’s an insurance gap filler. It covers claims that your auto, home, or renters policies may not. Things like your dog biting someone, someone falling down your stairs at home, a guest hurting themselves in your pool, a guest falling off the swings in your backyard, injuries to someone in a car accident that you’re faulted for or someone hurting themselves while 4 wheeling on your land.

You know our commercials where Professor Burke says, “We know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two”? Stay tuned for the next blog about a client, a guest on their property and a run in with an ATV. Let’s just say it’s a good thing there was an Umbrella in place. More on that to come in another blog.

Why would you need an Umbrella? If you have ever worried if the liability limits on your policies would be enough to cover a larger claim that exceeds your policy limits, then you need an umbrella policy. What Umbrella Insurance does is extends the limits of your liability coverage.

Another reason for having Umbrella coverage in place is if your occupation frequently puts you out in the public eye, if you like to throw parties and have gatherings at your home, or if  you have a vacation home. These reasons, the reasons above and a few more would be why you should say YES to Umbrella Insurance. 

The cost is typically pretty reasonable. As we all know, prices will vary but typically it ranges from about $200 to $600 a year. Yes, a year not a month. Not too shabby.

For more information, please feel free to give us a call. You can also check out Umbrella Insurance for a bit more information as well.

We Love Our Teachers!

One of the coolest parts of our job is being able to give back to our hard working teachers. Last month we started a program with a few of our local schools. We leave a ballot box for the teachers to put their name in. They fill out an entry slip, put it in the ballot box and wait for the drawing. Once we draw a name, that lucky teacher sends us an amazon order of up to $100 and we will deliver it to them as well as goodies for the whole staff. 

March winners were:

Norma Cinco from Freedom Elementary

Marla Bratsch from Hillwood Middle

Jennifer Plocek from Parkview Elementary

Chanell Gorden from Trinity Meadows Intermediate

We have one more teacher to honor so stay tuned. :)

Thank you to Gary Mantz, Kathleen Eckert, Doreen Krebs and Susan Argurieo Mackey for having us! See y'all next month!

Opening Day Picnic 2018!!

Take me out to the ball game
Take me out to the crowd
By me some peanut and cracker jacks
I don't care if I never get back
So let's root, root, root for the home team (TEXAS RANGERS!!)
If they don't win it's a shame
For it's ONE, TWO, THREE strikes you're out
At the old ball game!

We are so excited for the start of baseball season and for our Texas Rangers!! It's our year! LET'S GO RANGERS!!

Opening day is Thursday, March 29th. Texas Rangers vs. the Houston Astros!  What a coincidence! We'll be having our annual Opening Day Picnic that day, too!! :) AND it's a FREE event!

Come join us for lunch on Opening Day. We will have hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, cracker jacks, peanuts and of course Texas Rangers helmet sundaes! YUM!!! We will have door prizes, games and the photo booth for some photo booth fun!

You won't want to miss out on an fun fulled afternoon. Bring your family, bring your office staff, bring your friends! Here at the Kirkwood Agency we always think the more the merrier!

Check out our Farmers Insurance, Kirkwood Agency Facebook page for more information.  Click here for the invite: Opening Day Picnic

5 Reasons to Not Have Life Insurance

While there are WAY more reasons TO have life insurance, these could be your 5 reasons not to have life insurance:

1. I’m immortal

2. It’s not a priority of mine

3. I don’t love anyone, so there’s no need

4. I only care about me #teamofme

5. I live in the now, not the later

If any of the above are you then you’re right, you don’t need life insurance. However, I’m positive that none of the above are any of us, right? Especially #1!

It’s been said that there are two sure things in life, death and taxes. Here’s a little known secret… Life insurance can help with both. OH! And have we told you we have just the guy to help you out? He is the newest member of our team, Todd Mayo! He is busting at the seams with information on how to get you into the best plan for you and your family’s needs.

Here’s the thing… Life insurance can be a tough subject to talk about. Our job is not to make you feel uncomfortable when it comes to this very sensitive subject. We are here to help you feel at ease when it comes to protecting your family if the unexpected happens.

Here’s another thing… Life insurance isn’t as expensive as you may think it is. There are a variety of different policies out there. The best thing to do is give the office a call and set up a Farmers Friendly Review with Todd. He’ll be happy to sit down and go through the different options with you.

Here’s one more thing… February is Insure Your Love month. While roses and chocolates are nice, a life insurance policy is something that will literally last a lifetime. I’m not saying don’t get your loved one roses and chocolate. I’m just saying giving them a gift that gives even after you’re gone is a pretty solid gift.

Let’s go back to the list above and change it up to why you need life insurance:

1. You’re mortal

2. It’s time to make it a priority

3. You have loved one(s)

4. You care deeply for your loved ones and their well-being after you’re gone #teamfamily

5. While it’s great to live in the now, you are prepared for later as well

Again, we understand that talking about life insurance can be uncomfortable but would you trade a moment of being uncomfortable for peace of mind? Peace of mind that your family will be financially set if the unthinkable were to happen.

Adopt a Senior Angel for Christmas

The season of Christmas is a time for family and friends to gather around with lots of food, fellowship, driving around looking at lights, gift giving, etc... It's the most wonderful time of the year, right?! In most cases, yes. In others, no.

In and around the Keller area, there are several senior living facilities.  Each of them are great places providing regular activities and even weekly outings for their residents. However, for some of their residents, the holidays can be a very lonely time. Several residents either don't have any family or family members are too far to come visit for the holidays.

The Kirkwood Agency has been honored to be able to partner with 2 senior housing facilities in the Keller area to put together a Senior Angel Tree for those residents who don't have family around during the holidays. They list out a few things that they want and send it over to us. We have been able to do this for the last few years and it really has been great. What a blessing to have our community and in some cases those outside of our community come together and adopt these Senior Angels. Some adopt one while others adopt several.

Last year we were able to hand deliver the gifts to the the residents. What a great experience! Each recipient was overjoyed and so thankful for their gift. Some couldn't say thank you enough while others were speechless.

If you would like to adopt a Senior Angel, there is still time. We have several that need adopting.  They really aren't asking for much. From cooking spices to bed sheets. Necessities is what they ask for. We just asked that you have them back to us by Monday, December 18th so that we have enough time to get them back to the residents before Christmas.

We have the tree here at the office so come on by and pick your Senior Angel up today. We are here Monday - Friday, 8:30-5:30.
Farmers Insurance, Kirkwood Agency
130 E. Hill St
Keller, TX 76248

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!