Family event spreads joy, knowledge

RICHMOND — By providing a welcoming family-oriented environment, those involved with organizing the Census Party believed they successfully informed some of this city's residents about the 2010 census.

Held at the Nevin Community Center Thursday, the event was designed to encourage people to get their forms completed as soon as possible, so that Richmond can receive more federal funds.

Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Chairman John Gioia spoke at the event and said the organizers made it more "kid-friendly" for the families, so they may feel inspired to talk to their friends and neighbors about filling out their census forms.

He also said they wanted to alleviate the fears their target audience may have about the process.

Their target audience included non-English speakers, youth, seniors and the gay and lesbian community, Executive Director of Richmond's Opportunity West Cheryl Maier said.

For the non-English speakers, they had Spanish translators come in to help explain the importance of the census to their Hispanic audience.

"There have been a lot of misconceptions about the U.S. census," Gioia said. "Privacy is a huge factor, especially with immigration status."

Gioia also said they wanted to get the community more involved and remind residents why it is important to be counted.

Maier, who sponsored the event, said that one of the reasons why the event was successful was because they had accommodated their guests so well.

The children who worked at the event gave the Census Party its family-oriented atmosphere, she said.

They were helping the representatives at the event give out free items such as T-shirts, trinkets and posters.

Additionally, the Mariachi Dance Crew also performed at the event.

The group consists of young children and teenagers singing traditional Mariachi songs, which made some of the audience members feel more comfortable and at home, Maier said.

The event also had different organizations and groups, such as the Richmond Children's Foundation, Native Wellness Center and Community Violence Solutions.

They were not only there to promote their programs, but also to support the census, as each organization had its own table set up with pamphlets and fliers.

Richmond Children's Foundation representative Cheryl Vaughn participated in the event to promote her organization's Farm 2 Table program, which is trying to help low-income families obtain fresh fruits and vegetables.

Vaughn enjoyed seeing all the families wearing the census T-shirts and was impressed by the number of people who showed up. 

She was also impressed with the children who performed at the event and the high quality food being served at the event.

"There was definitely a positive feel to the Census Party," Vaughn said.

Another organization looking to promote its own program was the Community Violence Solutions.

Coordinator of Prevention and Outreach Elisa Audo said she hopes that after participating at the event more people will become aware of Community Violence Solutions.

She also hopes the Richmond community will know that it is in a time of crisis, and with the support of her organization, it can prevent sexual violence and abuse.

Audo said her organization is dependent on federal funds, and if more people finished filling out their census forms, the community could have more money for a program like theirs.

Registered nurse Tierra Brown, a local who attended the event, said the Census Party did an amazing job bringing people together.

Contact Lissette Alvarez  at lalvarez.advocate@gmail.com