Heroes, Kids Mix at Credit Union Event

Friday, the staff at will be dressed in superhero costumes. To get in the spirit, the bank invited everyday heroes to family-focused event in its parking lot Wednesday afternoon.

Sheriff's deputies, staff from the Watsonville Police Community Services Division and firefighters from Cal Fire and Watsonville Fire set up shop on the pavement for a couple of hours as part of Bay Federal's Youth Week festivities.

Kids got to play on fire trucks, take pictures on a camouflage Sheriff's Office ATV and make child safety ID kits, complete with a DNA swab, fingerprints and a current photo.

"We're just really excited to do this for the kids in our community," said Bay Federal Branch Manager Nicole Holtzinger.

The Youth Week theme is Superheroes, so bank staff have been wearing hero T-shirts all week and will don full costumes Friday (Holtzinger dresses as Batman). Kids also get prizes for opening accounts and making deposits in their savings accounts during the week.

The ID kits are also offered during the County Fair and at various events throughout the year. They're popular with parents.

"It's just one of those precautionary things we offer," Sheriff's Sgt. Mike MacDonald said.

A child's personal information goes home with their parents—an important tool when kids go missing—but is not kept on file at the Sheriff's Office, due to confidentiality concerns.

The Watsonville Police Department was connecting families with Nixle, a community notification program that sends emails and texts during critical incidents.