Thread: Ex-Bears help on census push

Ex-Bears help on census push
'GET WORD OUT' | Thomas, Van Horne help create ads to reach public
Comments

March 13, 2010

BY MAUDLYNE IHEJIRIKA Staff Reporter
What do Keith Van Horne and Calvin Thomas of the 1985 Super Bowl Chicago Bears and Richards Career Academy seniors Omar Bautista, Maria Valle and Alicia Howard have in common?

The pro athletes and Chicago Public Schools students are all part of the U.S. Census Bureau's efforts to reach historically undercounted communities.

"I didn't really understand how important the census was before working on these PSAs," said Bautista, 18, who with teammates Valle and Howard took first-place in a public service announcement competition at the predominantly Hispanic South Side high school Friday.

"We want to get the word out that there are no obstacles to filling it out," Bautista continued. "The information isn't given to the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and information we provide can actually bring us one step closer to immigration reform."

As census mailings begin hitting mailboxes in the government's decennial population survey, the bureau's sports collaborative program is sending retired athletes into schools, public housing and community events within hard-to-count areas, as part of a $340 million marketing and advertising campaign.

The athletes will fan out in CPS next week as the district hosts Census in Schools week, to promote mail-in response to the mailed questionnaires. The higher the response, the lower the cost for paid census takers.

The athletes have been working since October with seniors at Richards -- where the student population is 66 percent Hispanic, 33 percent black, and 85 percent low-income -- to develop the PSAs for possible airing on cable and municipal channels.

Presenting their ads to a judges panel that included four other retired pro football players, the teens mostly tackled how illegal immigrants' fears might affect accurate counting of a burgeoning Hispanic population.

"Many Hispanics are afraid of filling out the form, because they are going to have to say they're immigrants and have no Social Security number," said Elizabeth Marron, 17. "But I think the more people are aware the information is private and can affect their quality of life, the more people will fill it out."

http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/ ... 13.article

Does "affect the quality of their life" mean there is more federal money and therefore more free stuff for illegals?

I think you nailed it ReggieMay.