Event and prizes to kick off 2010 census

The Census Bureau will mail important questionnaires to residents in Porterville starting March 15, and city is doing everything it can to make sure people respond.

At a kick off event to be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Heritage Center, city staff will educate “hard to count” populations, including non-English speakers, in the hopes that their responses to the questionnaires will bring more money to local schools, hospitals and new housing developments. Free food, prizes, music and a variety of entertainment will be provided during the community event.

“It doesn’t cost anything but a little bit of time,” city librarian Vikki Cervantes said. “We’ll be giving away food, Clifford the Big Red Dog will be there and a Spanish-speaking clown ... as well as local Tahitian dancers and a mariachi student group.”

The census form, which consists of 10 questions, is mailed every 10 years to measure population and housing statistics. The results are used to determine the allocation of more than $300 billion to states and communities.

In Tulare County in 2000, less than 68 percent of residents returned their surveys, compared to the national participation rate of 72 percent, according to information provided by the Census Bureau.

By law, the bureau cannot share an individual’s responses with anyone, including other federal agencies and law enforcement agencies.

“With the education protests, this is the perfect time, this is a wonderful way for teachers and students to come together to make everyone count,” Lupe Diaz, who works for the City of Porterville’s Community Development Department, said.

Diaz and Cervantes are members of a specially convened census outreach committee that has been working since February 2009 to educate Porterville residents about the census.