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DURHAM, N.C. – Durham City and County governments will kick off outreach efforts for next year’s census activities with a training session for the 2010 Census Complete Count Committee, a group of volunteers who will develop and implement a locally-based awareness campaign for the Census.  The session will be held Thursday, July 16, 2009, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at City Hall in Council Chambers.

Chaired by Mayor William V. “Bill’ Bell and County Commission Chairman Michael D. Page, the committee’s primary focus will be to promote the 2010 Census in a particular community and to ensure that every resident in that area is counted.  “Members of this diverse committee have a great understanding of the best way to reach all populations and is best suited to mobilize community resources in the most efficient and cost-effective manner,” said Bell.  “We need to take advantage of that.”

“Durham had a really good response rate 10 years ago, higher than many other similar communities,” Page added.  “This committee can help Durham continue to get its fair share of federal dollars by ensuring that our residents understand and are more likely to respond to the census questionnaires when they are distributed.”

Members of the committee include representatives from Durham Public Schools, the Durham Chamber of Commerce, the City of Durham, Durham County Government, Durham Housing Authority, Urban Ministries of Durham, El Centro Hispano, Duke University, North Carolina Central University, the Inter-Neighborhood Council, and Partners Against Crime.

For more information about the 2010 Census and how it benefits Durham, log onto www.durhamnc.gov/departments/planning/complete_count_comm.cfm or call Laura D. Woods in the Durham City-County Planning Department at (919) 560-4137, ext. 28248.