On Sunday, March 14th, more than 100 Burmese visited the Ratana Viman Monastery in Lithonia Georgia to worship with Monk Ashin,  offer and share delicious Burmese food with each other, and hold the annual Myannmar Buddhist Association (MBA) meeting.  Nelson Tun, Chair of the Burmese Complete Count Committee and member of MBA, invited the ACCC and the US Census Bureau to attend their event and talk about the Census forms that are now arriving in the mail.  In 2000, there was a zero count for Burmese in Georgia – the Burmese community estimates there were approximately 300 Burmese in 2000, but now they have more than 3,000 in Georgia.  The 2010 Census is an especially historic moment for this community. 

A Burmese family arrive for the ceremony

Children follow the prayer / chants of Monk Ashin

The community offers food to Monk Ashin

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The Asian Complete Count Committee of Georgia (ACCC) held its inaugural meeting on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at the Center for Pan Asian Community Services.  The CPACS meeting room was full with more than 60 attendees, which were comprised of members of ACCC affiliated organizations, members of the public, and Census Bureau representatives.  During the meeting each ACCC organization representative shared the Census outreach efforts in their local communities.  The stories comprised of grassroot efforts to spread the word to hard to reach communities that are historically undercounted and underrepresented.  The attendees also left

with thousands of giveaways and promotional items of all different languages to disseminate and use in their local efforts to promote the Census.  Helen Kim, the ACCC co-chair, presented on “How to Hold an Assistance Program,” in which the ACCC members learned exactly what the Census Bureau allows and does not allow in helping individuals fill out their Census forms.  Afterward, the ACCC recorded a video PSA that will be available within the month.  The local ethnic press and WSB-TV also attended the meeting.  The ACCC is in full force with its Census efforts and the ACCC and its members are constantly holding additional events.  Please see our calendar for a list of events.

Bring your Census forms to our Gwinnett office March 21 and we will have volunteers to help you fill the forms out!

On March 21^st, from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM during the Asians for Haitians Charity Event, the Center for Pan Asian Community Services, Inc., the Asian Complete Count Committee of Georgia, and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Educational Fund, will distribute Census materials and assist anyone who needs help completing their Census form, especially those that need help in Korean, Vietnamese or Chinese.

In addition to calling CPACS for assistance in English, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese at (770) 936 – 0969, please call the US Census Bureau help lines for assistance in English, Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese.

Below are half page flyers you can print and pass out at your events.  The links below the pictures will give you the .pdf form in English, Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese.

Assistance Forum Flyer – English

Assistance Forum Flyer – Korean

Assistance Forum Flyer – Vietnamese

Assistance Forum flyer- traditional Chinese

Myanmar Buddhist Association (MBA) would like to invite all our dhamma friends to our annual Hta Ma Nae’ Pwe and MBA annual meeting that will be held on Sunday – March 14th, 2010 at Ratana Viman Monastery. Please refer below event agenda and attached invitation for more information. We are looking forward to celebrating this event with all our dhamma friends.

Event Date:          March 14th 2010 – Sunday
Place:                  Ratana Viman Monastery
7271 Asbury Drive
Lithonia, Georgia 30058
Phone: 770-676-7169

Agenda:
10:00AM      –       Gather food for the monks and accept donations from the guests
11:00AM      -       Offer lunch to the monks
12:00PM      -       Offer lunch to the guests
1:00PM        -       Offer Hta Ma Nae’ and tea to the guests
1:30PM        -       Dhamma talk by Ashin Manijoti
2:00PM        -       Announce 2009-2010 MBA projects and 2009 financial report
2:30PM        -       2010 MAB EC member election
3:00PM        -       Present certificates to volunteers
3:30PM        -       End event

If you are interested to become a member or volunteer for MBA in 2010, please contact MBA secretary, Myat at 404 556 5629.

MBA – 2010 Hta Ma Nae Invitation

Your video could screen at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific American Film Fest 2010, be seen nationally, and even win you $3,000!

Visit www.apicount.com for an entry form and start rolling today!

PSA Contest Flyer

At the request of minority law makers, Assistant Attorney General Ronald H. Weich certified that the federal Census laws regarding the confidentiality of the Census information trumps the provisions of the Patriot Act pertaining to information-gathering and sharing.  The Census Bureau is legally bound keep information obtained through the Census confidential and away from other government departments.

Full Article Link

As census day draws near, the DeKalb Complete Count Committee, is focused on its Census efforts to ensure that DeKalb gets its fair share of the more than $400 billion to help the local community by mailing in forms by April 1.  The County has launched several innovative campaigns including creating Complete Count Communities, Census Caravans, and Census Night Out.

To partner with the County or for more information on the Census Caravans or any of DeKalb CCC’s efforts, please contact the Office of Commissioner Connie Stokes at 404-371-3053, e-mail conniestokes@co.dekalb.ga.us, or sign up on-line at www.conniestokes.org.

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A national Census only happens once every ten years – the United States Constitution requires a headcount of every person residing in the U.S. every 10 years, regardless of citizenship status.  The Census, unlike census initiatives in some other countries, is completely confidential and not shared with other governmental agencies.  The information is only used in a general/statistical way for three major purposes:

• To determine how the $400+ billion in federal funds are awarded to states and communities every year.  That’s more than $4 trillion dollars distributed over a 10-year period.
• To guide local decision-makers in important community planning efforts.  Census counts are directly tied to the federal dollars communities receive for important services such as education funding, affordable housing support, job training, social services, roads, bridges, and other community development opportunities.
• To determine how many seats Georgia will have in the U.S. House of Representatives as well as the redistricting of state legislatures, county and city councils, and voting districts based on the new Census information.

Getting an accurate count of our Asian community in Georgia is a must.  Asians have historically been undercounted for the Census, and we as a community suffers because of it.   Our community must come together, regardless of ethnic identity, to ensure that we are all counted, and all benefit.

(More Info)

Census 2010 Information (DOC)

The 2010 census will influence the health and well-being of Asian-American and Pacific Islander families and the political power of their communities for the next 10 years. The U.S. Constitution requires everyone living in the United States to be counted every 10 years, regardless of citizenship or residency status. In March 2010, every household will receive a census form in the mail that by law must be completed and mailed back by April.  (Read More)

PDF

The Deputy Secretary of Commerce, Dennis Hightower, visited Atlanta on Friday, February 26, 2010 and met with a cross section (pictured below) of Complete Count Committee members at Morehouse College to learn of Georgia’s work for a complete count.

The ACCC members and VCCC members shared their current Census efforts and stories of other local initiatives with Mr. Hightower.

Front row: Marilyn Stephens, ARCM; Deputy Secretary of Commerce Hightower; Reginald Bigham, Deputy Regional Director; and Manuel Landivar, ARCM

Ladies in middle row: Rosa Esquivel, Media Sub-Committee GA Latino Complete Count Committee; Jeffrey Tapia, Deputy Director, The Latin American Association, and GA Latino Complete Count Committee; Connie Stokes, Commissioner and CCC Chair, DeKalb County Board of Commissioners; Saralyn Stafford, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Coordinator 2010 Census Outreach for Georgia CCC; Nancy A. Flake-Johnson, President CEO, Atlanta Urban League;  Kim hanh Dang, Chair, Vietnamese CCC; Helen Kim, Director of Advocacy and Education, Center for Pan Asian Community Services and Chair, Asian CCC of Georgia; Alice Kim, Census Outreach Coordinator, Asian CCC of Georgia

Gentlemen in back: John Henry Eaves, Chairman, Fulton County Commission; and John T. Grant, President & CEO, 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc.

With only one month left before Census 2010 questionnaires are sent to the nation’s residents, Georgia has it work cut out for it to make sure that everyone is counted, but many organizations are working hard to spread the word.   Atlanta had a response rate of 59 percent in 2000 compared to the national average of 67 percent.  On Friday U.S. Deputy Commerce Secretary Dennis Hightower met with members of various Census organization members, including members of the Asian Complete Count Committee and the Vietnamese Complete Count Committee, who shared stories of the local community efforts.  At the conclusion of the meeting, Mr. Hightower expressed that he has faith that Georgia will be prepared for the 2010 Census.

Full Article Link

Laotian American Organization Supporters of Census 2010

Lao Community Cultural Center of San Diego Contact:  Vannasing Keodara California	Khmu National Federation California
Lao Association of Connecticut Contact:  Howard Phensomphone Connecticut	Lao American Women Association D.C. and Virginia
Wat Lao Buddhakhanti Georgia	Laotian American Society Contact: Dao Malaythong Georgia
Lao American Community Services Contact:  Thavone Nyatso Illinois	Royal Lao Classical Dancers Contact:  Thassany Pothikanh Tennessee

Ryla, Inc. is now hiring in Kennesaw, Georgia for Census 2010 efforts.  They are looking for multiple positions including Bilingual Customer Service Representatives.  People who speak the following languages should apply:

• English only
• English and Spanish
• English and Mandarin Chinese
• English and Korean
• English and Russian
• English and Vietnamese

If you are interested, please visit Ryla’s website for more information.

Despite legal ramifications and other safeguards set in place by the government, scam artists will attempt to obtain personal information from uninformed community members.  It is important in promoting the Census to also inform our community members of how to identify legitimate Census workers and Census contact.

For example, Census workers will not show up at your doors until after April 1, 2010.  All census workers that come to your door will have a badge, a handheld device or computer to enter data, an official Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice.

Other things to look for:

• The Census Bureau does NOT conduct the 2010 Census via the Internet
• The Census Bureau does not send emails about participating in the 2010 Census
• The Census Bureau never:
  • Asks for your full social security number
  • Asks for money or a donation
  • Sends requests on behalf of a political party
  • Requests PIN codes, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts

Please select HERE to see more a more complete list of what to look for and what to do if you receive questionable contact.

March 3 Invite

This meeting is open to the public, but MANDATORY for members of the ACCC.