The United Way of Lamar County announced today that they received a $7,000 grant from the Texas Complete Count Fund at Communities Foundation of Texas.
“This grant will be used to support educational and engagement activities for the 2020 Census to ensure a complete census count,” said Jenny Wilson, Executive Director with United Way ofLamar County.
In November, the United Way formed a Complete the Count Committee to work with its partner agencies, the school districts, and other local organizations to promote the Census and encourage participation, particularly with the hard-to-count subpopulations that many of the agencies serve.
The U.S. Constitution mandates that a census be taken every 10 years to count all people living in the United States. Responding to the census is mandatory because getting a complete and accurate count of the population is critically important. An accurate count of the population serves as the basis for fair political representation and plays a vital role in many areas of public life.
Data collected from the 2020 census will be used to reapportion seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and to help redraw congressional, state, and local district.
Census totals help determine the amount of funding that state governments and local communities receive from the federal government for the next decade. More than $675 billion in federal funds to states and local communities for health, education, housing, and infrastructure programs. Accurate census counts ensure that funding is equitably distributed for numerous programs such as Medicaid, highway planning and construction, special education grants to states, the National School Lunch Program, and Head Start.
Those interested in joining the Complete the Count Committee are welcome to attend the next planning meeting on Monday, January 13th at 1pm at the United Way office, located at 2340 Lamar Avenue. For more information call (903) 784-6642.
