City of Gainesville, community organizations partner to host upcoming Census-A-Thon

 With nearly 4 in 10 U.S. households yet to complete the 2020 Census, the City of Gainesville, Alachua County, Greater Gainesville Chamber and the School Board of Alachua County are working to raise awareness about the national population count during a virtual three-day Community Census-A-Thon. 

 

 

Individuals may enter a daily drawing for prizes through this link; winners will be announced during the Census-A-Thon. Participation in the drawings is open to those who have already completed the 2020 Census as well as those who have yet to respond. Prizes include JBL Speaker Clips, JBL Wireless Earbuds by Harman, Amazon Echo Dots, and Go Pros.

 

 “Everyone who completes the census helps shape the future of our community,” said City of Gainesville census coordinator Jessica Turner-Evans. “Census data is used to guide the allocation of federal funding for our hospitals, schools, fire departments and roads,” she added.

 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, each home received an invitation to complete the census questionnaire by mail, email or phone earlier this spring. The response phase ends Oct. 31 as the Census Bureau then will deliver apportionment counts to the president and to congress.

 

“Participating in the census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution and the results are also used to draw congressional and state legislative districts,” said Alachua County census coordinator Sean McLendon. “We hope the Census-A-Thon helps raise household participation rates in the county,” he said.

 

For more information, contact Jessica Turner-Evans at 352-393-8849 or TurnerEvaJ1@cityofgainesville.org.