Consider the following situations: A single mother of three children who wants her children to grow up having their own backyard rather than sharing a playground with an entire apartment community; an elderly church member who wants to continue to live in the home he has owned for the past 30 years rather than moving into a nursing home because of failing health; a young father who wants to take his children shopping for clothes for school but does not have the money to drive 45 minutes away to the shopping center; or, a young child who desperately needs to get to a hospital 20 minutes away from his home. All of these people have something in common. They need a lifeline, and you can help!

To paraphrase the census mantra, when you answer the census, your needs are met. The census is a count of everyone residing in the United States. The information you provide to the census is used to help develop programs that will offer low-cost loans to allow residents with low incomes to buy or renovate a home. It is also used to develop programs that will allow elderly residents to remain in their homes and to live independently instead of in a nursing home. Census data is also used to attract new businesses to the community. Lastly, the information you provide to the census can be used to create maps to speed emergency services to households in need of assistance.

These are just a few ways the census is important and crucial to the longevity of our community. Every year, the federal government allocates more than $400 billion to states and communities based, in part, on census data. In approximately 10 minutes and with only 10 questions, your census information can be recorded for the U.S. Government.

The Mu Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority encourages you to participate in the 2010 Census. Let’s not be stranded in our community! Let’s assure our children that in the years ahead, we will have more retail stores to help pump money into our community’s economy. Let’s assure our neighbors that we will have more community facilities and programs to assist us in our times of need. In 10 minutes, you can be a lifeline. Answer the census.

Dr. Sheila Lowe

President

Mu Xi Omega Chapter

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority

Vicksburg