Gary Youth Express the Importance of Being Counted through Creativity
Recently, the Gary Census Count Committee announced the winners of the 2020 Census Poster Contest. The competition, hosted in partnership with the City of Gary and the Urban League of Northwest Indiana, took place earlier this year and was created to help raise awareness around participation in the 2020 Census among Gary families.
“We know that our children are influential messengers and represent the perfect way to make filling out the Census a topic of discussion in the home,” said Dr. Vanessa Allen McCloud, President and CEO of the Urban League of NWI. “The contest also offered the opportunity for our youth to artistically express themselves.”
The contest was open to all Gary youth grades K-12. The winners are as follows:
- Jailyn McShan, Roosevelt College & Career Academy
- Elizabeth Imlach, Gary Middle School
- Kkloe Selmon and Kyla Thompson, Bethune Early Childhood Development Center
- Quintel Parker, Bethune Early Childhood Development Center
Each winner was awarded a gift card courtesy of the Legacy Foundation, and their artwork will be on display at Gary City Hall later this year. The Census Planning Committee is also exploring opportunities for the first-place artwork to appear on billboards and other promotional signage.
The Gary Census Count Committee was organized in the fall of 2019 and continues to raise awareness and participation of Gary residents in the census through various activities and events.
“It’s no secret that the census helps determine how dollars and resources flow into our communities,” said Gary Mayor Jerome Prince. “We must make sure everyone in every household is counted to ensure that Gary receives all of the support and funding it so greatly deserves.”
For information about how the Urban League of NWI is promoting the 2020 Census, call 219-887-9621 or visit www.ulofnwi.org. To complete the census online, visit www.2020Census.gov.
