A Note from our Executive Director
Dear friend,
I never expected to be inspired about the census. Last week, I attended a meeting for nonprofit professionals to begin to strategize about how to ensure that every single person in our County is counted. One of the speakers said,
“Every single person matters. Babies matter. The elderly matter. Parents matter. Immigrants matter.”
Each one of us matters and each one of us needs to be counted.
The census is the mechanism that determines our representation in congress. If we don’t count, we lose political clout. The census is also the mechanism that supports our safety net. If we don’t count, we lose thousands of dollars per person. It is illegal to share personal information from the census. The information is gathered and reported in aggregate, and when we are all counted, we have more power and more influence. Each one of us matters and deserves to be counted, to be seen, and to be valued.
IVYP will be deeply involved in helping everyone to feel safe to be counted. The best way to make our voices heard and to make change is to participate. Have a great summer.
Lori Goodman
Executive Director
