Thursday, December 10, 2009

Brother David L. Williams - Gaston County's Chief Census Booster Testifies -- Gastonia/Shelby Alumni

Congratulations to Brother David L. Williams (Gastonia/Shelby (NC) Alumni Chapter (Spring 2007) on the fabulous job he has done representing Gaston County as the Complete Count Committee Chairman for Census 2010, during his recent trip to Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. Attached is an article from the December 4, 2009 Gastonia Gazette, which I also printed out, in the event you could not access. We are extremely proud of Brother Williams who reported on the Census 2010 during the November 8, 2009 Chapter Meeting. We look forward to his monthly updates and your participation as he recruits volunteers in the coming year to get the word out about the importance of the Census 2010. For those of you who attended the Grand Chapter Meeting in Washington, D.C. in August 2009, or followed on Facebook and/or twitter, you are aware that Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. is a 2010 Census National Partner and has National Organization which has a Signed Partnership Commitment Form with the Census 2010.

Calvin E. Reeves, Jr., Polemarch,
Gastonia/Shelby (NC) Alumni Chapter
MOIP Coordinator & Mu Upsilon (A.S.U.) Undergraduate Chapter Advisor
2009-2010 Middle Eastern Province Nominating Committee Chair


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Gaston census worker testifies before congressional subcommittee

December 04, 2009 4:26 PM by Corey Friedman

When every dollar counts, every person must be counted.
Census data determines how much federal funding a county or city will receive, and Gaston County's strategies to increase Census 2010 participation earned Complete Count Committee Chairman David Williams an invitation to testify before a congressional subcommittee in Washington.
"About $400 million is going to be determined based upon the 2010 census, and Gaston needs to get its share of that money," said Williams, who is also director of Gaston County Planning and Development Services. "If we miss people, we essentially miss money."
Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Republican from Cherryville, asked Williams to speak to the House Information Policy, Census and National Archives Subcommittee, of which he is the ranking member. Gaston's chief census booster was one of five officials to testify before the committee on Wednesday.
McHenry said he wanted to share Gaston County's census success with the entire country.
"What Gaston County and what David is doing is really a model for the rest of the state and the nation to follow," McHenry said. "I think the folks in Gaston County are doing a fantastic job of getting the message out."
The Complete Count Committee is planning a public information campaign to encourage county residents to fill out their census forms. Awareness events will be held at recreation and community centers, a seven-day span in February will be designated Census Awareness Week, and government vehicles will sport bumper stickers reading "Census 2010: It Counts to Be Counted."
Each official testifying before the subcommittee was given five minutes to speak. Williams ran out of time before he ran out of information.
"I respectfully asked the chairman to yield me another minute," he said.
Congressmen and colleagues found Williams' remarks helpful.
"Mr. Williams is articulate and carried his message very well," McHenry said. "I've seen many people testify before Congress, and he was one of the best that I've seen. He did a fantastic job of testifying."
Also speaking to the subcommittee were local officials from New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Washington. McHenry said he wanted someone from a smaller area to have a seat at the table.
"Nationally, the discussion has been how difficult it is to count in urban areas, but the reality is that rural and suburban areas pose their own unique challenges," he said. "We wanted to highlight those and make people aware."
Williams flew to Washington Tuesday afternoon and met with McHenry's staff at 11 a.m. Wednesday for a tour of the Capitol before his scheduled testimony. McHenry's office paid for his travel and lodging.
"I'd been to Washington, D.C., but I had never been in the Capitol rotunda," he said. "It was a good experience, and I appreciate Congressman McHenry giving me the opportunity to give our perspective on some of the things we plan to do."

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