Come To Your Census in 2020

We need your help to identify 40-50 community leaders that will help identify what needs to be done to get a complete count of South Carolina!

Strategy Session Dates:

Registration will start at 9:45am. Sessions will run from 10:00am-2:00pm. Lunch will be provided. Stipends are available to assist with transportation, child care, and/or to assist with lost wages due to session participation.

Below: dates and Facebook links to the events

Monday, January 27 – Laurens County, Laurens County Library

Tuesday, January 28 – Spartanburg County, Spartanburg County Library – The Barrett Room

Wednesday, January 29 – Charleston County, Location TBD

Thursday, January 30 – Florence County, Florence Library

Saturday, February 1 – Orangeburg County, Orangeburg Arts Center

How You Can Help

Attend the strategy session for your community! Invite others to attend!

How To Invite People:

Please consider sending a personal email or making a phone call to people you think should be in the room during this session. We hope that the majority of attendees will represent a census tract or community that has traditionally low response so that we can really move the needle to meet our response goals.

How To Register:

Call or text Mary Dell Hayes at (803) 920-4868 or email at [email protected]. Please let us know if you need accommodations (interpretation, sign language, etc.) or have special dietary needs (gluten free, vegetarian, etc.).

Come To Your Census in 2020!

You are recognized as a person who gets stuff done, a leader and influencer. We need your help in making sure the 2020 decennial census is a success in South Carolina. The SC Governor’s Complete Count Commission, SC Grantmaker’s Network, United Way Association of SC, Together SC, and the SC Commission for Minority Affairs are hosting Come To Your Census Strategy Sessions across the state. We all have to come to our senses and realize how critical it is for every resident to get counted in the upcoming census. We can work together to make completing the census fun, safe, and inclusive.

Laurens, Spartanburg, Orangeburg, Florence, and Charleston had some of the lowest rates of self-response to the census in SC in 2010. We know that if we work together we can dramatically improve representation for the 2020 census. These workshops will bring together community influencers to ensure we are all working together to get everyone counted.

Sample Invitation:

Hi Sarah,

I really respect your work with First James Church. You do so much for to make our community a great place to live. I’m working on efforts in SC to make sure we get every SC resident counted in the 2020 census. If you’re available on DATE from 10am-2pm, I hope you can attend a work session. The group will be identifying why our community members may not want to respond to the census and find ways to make sure it’s safe, comfortable, and accessible to complete either the paper or online form. The census impacts how jobs are brought to our community, where schools are built, how roads and internet are placed, and disaster relief. I don’t want resources that could come to our community to go to another state so I’ll be doing everything I can to help, too. If you think of anyone who should be part of this effort, please share with them.

The United Way Association of SC is hosting this session and will provide lunch. They can also provide a stipend to help with transportation, child care, or make up missed wages if those barriers would prevent someone from being able to attend. If you have any questions, our contact is Mary Dell Hayes. You can reach her at (803) 920-4868 or by email at [email protected].

See you soon!

Mary Dell