By Julie Menin, Director of NYC Census 2020
As if there weren’t enough reasons to be counted already.
The 2020 Census brings funding for countless programs to our communities for years to come — and now, it can also bring you a call from your favorite playwright or humorist.
Nearly half of NYC households have responded to the census, but we need to get those numbers even higher. That’s why NYC Census 2020 has launched a new contest, “Count on New York.” Until May 27th, New Yorkers who complete the 2020 Census will have a chance to win a video call from composer, producer and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda or best-selling author and humorist Mo Rocca, to personally thank them for doing their part for our city.
The rules are simple: fill out the 2020 Census online, take a photo or screenshot of the confirmation page, and send the photo along with a sentence about what the 2020 Census means to you, your name, borough, and neighborhood to info@census.nyc.gov.
You can read the full rules at NYC.gov/CountOnNYC.
Now more than ever, it couldn’t be more important for NYC to reach a complete count. Our hospitals, health systems, emergency services, schools, housing, senior centers, and countless other vital programs depend on the census to provide us the funding we need. And as we grapple with COVID-19, we need our full share of funding to recover and emerge stronger than before.
Luckily, this might be the easiest contest you’ve ever entered. It only takes a few minutes to self-respond online, and you can do it from the safety and security of your own home. And filling out the census now means you will avoid a knock on your door during the door-to-door enumeration period.
We’re all in this together as we fight this pandemic, and we’re also all in this together as we fight for our communities through the 2020 Census. Every one of us counts, and we all have a role to play. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mo Rocca are doing their part. Now, we need you to do yours.
“Making Sense of the Census” is a weekly column from Julie Menin, Director of NYC Census 2020. Every week we will be publishing pieces from Julie and guest authors laying out the facts and answering tough questions about this year’s census. Fill out the census now at my2020census.gov.
