Press Releases
11/06/2019
Lt. Governor Bysiewicz Encourages Artists, Non-profits, and businesses to sign up for the 2020 Census Create-A-Thon Happening This Friday
Prizes to be awarded to the top three designs
(UNCASVILLE, CT) – Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, the Mohegan Tribe of Indians, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Connecticut Complete Count Committee, will host Connecticut’s first Create-A-Thon, an event that brings together creative artists, community leaders, non-profits, and businesses to brainstorm and design art and materials to inform the public about the 2020 Census. It’s happening this Friday, November 8 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Mohegan Sun Cabaret Theater and there’s still time to RSVP! The top three designs will be awarded prizes sponsored by various media organizations and agencies.
“As we approach the 2020 Census, events like these are a great opportunity for community members to become involved in the census process,” Lt. Governor Bysiewicz said. “Our goal is to count every single person in Connecticut, including the nearly 20 percent of people who live in hard-to-count communities. This Create-a-thon will play an important role in ensuring that we are thinking outside the box to reach every resident in our state so that Connecticut gets the federal funding it needs.”
“As an elected leader for our Tribal Government, I stand with Connecticut’s Lt. Governor, its elected officials and all 2020 Census partners to pledge Mohegan’s support for a complete count,” said Kathy Regan-Pyne, Tribal Councilor and Recording Secretary for the Mohegan Tribe. “Our Tribal CCC will not only work to ensure that every one of our Tribal citizens is counted, but that our nearly 20,000 employees at our resorts and other businesses across North America understand that the 2020 Census is coming, and how safe, easy and important it is to respond.”
“We are so thankful to partner with the Lt. Governor’s Office, Mohegan Tribe and all the great sponsors and Census partners who are making this event possible,” said Jeff Behler, director, New York Regional Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. “Having so many enthusiastic, driven, and smart people in one place at the same time is the perfect recipe for creative ideation. We’re confident that some amazing work will be produced that will help us accomplish a complete and accurate count for the state of Connecticut in the 2020 Census.”
An accurate census count is critically important to Connecticut as it is the foundation to determine nearly $11 billion in federal funding allocations. Also, census data affects everyone, not just in government, but also private businesses, schools, hospitals, non-profits, and other public and private entities.
Why a Create-a-thon?
Many organizations leading census outreach efforts have limited creative and/or digital capacity. As trusted voices in our communities, it is vital that their grassroots outreach efforts be amplified online to reach as many people as possible. Create-a-thon helps match creative talent (designers, copywriters, content strategists, video-makers, etc.) with those organizations so that they can conduct more effective digital outreach, with the ultimate goal of increasing response rates among the hardest-to-count communities that they serve. Over the course of four informative (and festive) hours, groups will dive into targeted briefs from local organizations, connect with a diverse group of talented people, and collaboratively generate digital media and compelling messages that spread awareness about the 2020 Census to communicate the importance of a complete and accurate count for Connecticut.
The top three designs will be awarded a prize:
-
1st place- $250 sponsored by Expressiones, a non-profits cultural center in downtown New London dedicated to providing the community with quality artistic programming including bilingual arts and educational programming for children in New London Public Schools.
-
2nd place- $150 sponsored by Miranda Creative, a full-service marketing, design & interactive agency located in Norwich specializing in brand management and managing messaging that reflects a brand's value across all media and all channels.
-
3rd place- $50 sponsored by the Eugene O'Neil Theater Center, the Launchpad of American Theater and the country's preeminent organization dedicated to the development of new works and new voices for the stage located in Waterford.
Sign up for Create-a-thon at https://connecticutforthecount.splashthat.com/.
On February 4, 2019, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz launched the Connecticut Complete Count Committee (CCCC) to inform and help direct the State's efforts in the upcoming 2020 Census. There are also over 100 local complete count committees formed throughout the state. The 2020 Census will be the first time residents can fill out their census form online. They can also be completed via mail or phone and many of Connecticut’s public libraries will be providing the resources necessary for residents to complete their census.
Contact
Juliemar Ortiz
Press Secretary
O: 860-524-7346
C: 860.278.6809