Spirit of Community Celebrations Mark the Beginning of the U.S. Census in the Denver Metro Area

With the Count Just Four Months Out, Operations Will Become More Visible in Local Communities

The U.S. Census bureau will launch community operations this week to conduct the 2010 Census in the Denver Metro Area. A Metro-wide Spirit of Community Celebration will feature Denver City Councilman and Chair of the Denver Complete Count Committee Paul Lopez, Diedra Garcia of the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Tony Hernandez, Director of the State Division on Local Government and Chair of the State Complete Count Committee, and Assistant Regional Census Manager Russ Frumm. They will talk about the power of community members to bring about a complete census, the largest peacetime operation conducted for the federal government. The event will take place on Tuesday, December 1st, at Denver Inner City Parish, 910 Galapagos St.,Denver at 11:00 am.

With the count just four months away, Census operations will become increasingly visible in local communities. Offices will organize communication with the public on census activities, as well as recruit, hire and train workers to conduct outreach operations. The entire operation will impact federal, state and local funding as well as the reapportionment of congressional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Our operations will play a very active role in reaching out to people where they live and encouraging them to complete their Census forms, Said Regional Census Director Cathy L.Lacy. “We want residents to understand what activity to expect in the coming months. We also want to make sure they know that filling out their forms is safe, easy and important and that funding for roads, schools, and social programs is at stake.”

Mandated by the Constitution, and taking place every decade since 1790, the Census is a count of everyone living in the United States. The confidentiality of Census information is protected by law, Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 9 of the Constitution. All Census bureau employees, including the Census workers who collect the information, have taken an oath of confidentiality and are subject to a jail term, fine, or both for disclosing any information that could identify a respondent or household. This level of confidentiality also extends to prohibitions against sharing information with other government agencies. For more information about the Census visit www.2010Census.gov.