Hidalgo County Judge René A. Ramirez is pictured at the launch of the Yo Cuento 2010 campaign last month. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)

EDINBURG, April 13 - How can we make a difference?

The next few days WILL make difference, a huge difference in fact, when it comes to the 2010 Census.

If you are one of those busy people who just haven't gotten around to filling out and mailing back your Census form, there's something important you should know. If you don't fill out and mail back your Census form in FOUR DAYS or by Friday, April 16, a census worker could be sent to your front door to get your response in person.

Can't find your Census form or you have not received it? Maybe you set your form aside to fill out later and now you can't find it, or you never received one in the mail. The Census form should have been mailed to you by yesterday, Monday, April 12. If you have not received a Census form or you've lost the one mailed to you, there are steps you can take to avoid having a Census worker visit your home:

1. Call 1-866-872-6868 (English) or 1-866-928-2010 (Spanish) to request that a form be mailed to your home.

2. Go to a Be Counted Site to pick up a form or extra forms for additional members in your family. A list of the sites can be found at http://www.co.hidalgo.tx.us/index.aspx?nid=945

Hidalgo County's participation rate is lagging way behind national and state averages. Our communities will live with these numbers for the next ten years; we depend on these numbers for formula funding that provides education for our children, protection of our neighborhoods and infrastructure needs. Let's do our part and get counted, our children will thank us.

Remember, Census figures determine our fair share of federal funding for key community programs and our congressional and state legislative representation.

We also have organized the yocuento2010.com campaign in partnership with community leaders committed to raising public awareness about the importance of the census count and increasing local participation in the census. For more information on how you can help Hidalgo County's outreach effort to get everyone counted, visit us at www.yocuento2010.com or call me at (956) 318-2600.

We need to be counted.  I’m counting on you to make a difference!  

René A. Ramirez is Hidalgo County Judge

Write René A. Ramirez

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