Farmers Insurance: Celebrates Read Across America with Milwaukee students

Contact: Michelle Levy 512.791.7445

michelle.levy@farmersinsurance.com

Milwaukee, WI — Monday March 2, 2009 is Read Across America Day and Farmers Insurance will mark this great day with an educational donation to more than 900 Milwaukee elementary students.

A team of Farmers employees, local Farmers Insurance agents and Farmers Insurance district managers will be at Congress School, located at 5525 W Lincoln Creek Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53218, at 7:00 a.m. to deliver breakfast and books to more than 930 children.

“In honor of universal kids favorite Dr. Seuss, we will all wear ‘Cat-In-The-Hat’ style hats,” said Eric Petersen, State Executive Director of Farmers Insurance in Wisconsin. “It’s our way of showing the students reading is fun for a lifetime.”

The festive dressed Farmers Insurance group will also read to 12 classrooms at Congress School.

Farmers Insurance has an established community partnership with Milwaukee Public Schools and over the course of a year, will be working with MPS in three specific areas: Education, Safety and Citizenship. As part of this partnership, Farmers donated copies of its award winning documentary “Freedom’s Song” to the school district. Freedom’s Song brings African-American history to life in a documentary film highlighting significant milestones in the history of the African-American experience during the past century. It includes living testimonials designed to put a personal face on the actual historical events featured in the film. More than 100 Milwaukee schools are using Freedom’s Song as part of the curriculum during Black History month.

“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to work with Farmers Insurance,” said Tina Flood, Social Studies Administrator of Milwaukee Public Schools. “It is amazing to see a company that is expanding its community involvement in these tough economic times.”

Farmers will give every student a canvass book bag with a book to take home, plus100 Teachers and Aides will receive special gift bags to thank them for their important commitment to education.

Farmers Group, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zurich Financial Services, an insurance-based financial services provider with a global network of subsidiaries and offices in North America and Europe as well as in Asia Pacific, Latin America and other markets. Farmers® is the nation’s third-largest Personal Lines Property & Casualty insurance group. Property and casualty products are underwritten and issued by the Farmers Exchanges and their subsidiaries, which Farmers Group, Inc. manages but does not own. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Farmers provides homeowners, auto, business, specialty products, life insurance and financial services to more than 10 million households. For more information about Farmers, visit our Web site at http://www.farmers.com.