Press Release:

FAMU Census Ambassadors and local volunteers will be going door-to-door this Saturday, March 20, to encourage traditionally low-response areas of Leon County to complete and mail back their 2010 Census forms.

"Hard-to-Count" areas are those that historically have not responded or returned the Census questionnaire that is mailed to the household. Students living off-campus typically assume that they will be included on a parent or guardian's questionnaire, when, in fact, college students living away from home must complete their own Census questionnaire, which should include any non-relatives or roommates occupying the household.

Common reasons for not doing so include distrust of government, lack of knowledge of funding that is based on Census data and apathy/indifference to this civic responsibility. As a result, millions of dollars are lost that could be used toward hospitals, job training centers and schools.

The Census Ambassadors are using the slogan "I Count, You Count, We Count." Census forms have already been distributed throughout the U.S., with the goal of having them mailed back by National Census Day, April 1, 2010.

Any household that has not responded by mail by the end of April will receive a visit from a Census taker who will follow-up in person with every household address that has not returned a completed form.

Forms cannot be completed online, but residents can view the form, and learn why each question is necessary, at: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/how/interactive-form.php.

For additional information, contact Jabari Paul at (850) 509-2535 or Jon D. Brown, Leon County Public information Officer, at (850) 694-1405.