The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA — In the Dr. Seuss’ classic “Horton Hears a Who,” it took all of the Whos in Whoville to make a difference.
Everyone counted ... no matter how small.
The same lesson could be applied to the Census.
No matter a person’s age, height, race, creed, or religion, everyone matters. Everyone must be counted.
By being counted, each person helps the community.
How?
The number of people living in the region determines how much federal money Valdosta-Lowndes County will receive in the next decade. The more people: The more federal dollars, the more congressional representation, etc.
For every completed census form, for every counted person, the community receives $1,700 per person per year, said Lowndes County Complete Count Co-Chair Sam Allen.
The census reflects whether our region’s population is growing, remains stagnant, or is decreasing.
South Georgians may know our region is growing. Through the census, we can let the government and the rest of the nation know we’re growing, too.
So, it’s an important issue. One that The Valdosta Daily Times is going to feature today and the next couple of weekends in our Sunday editions.
We want all Valdosta-Lowndes County residents to be counted, and we want our readers to better understand how the accurate numbers can work for us. And how not responding to the census can count against us.
Everyone counts ... no matter how small.
