MAYVILLE — Chautauqua County was recently awarded $110,389 through Empire State Development for a Census 2020 Complete Count Outreach Grant.

The grant provides funding for community outreach and awareness efforts to engage and encourage Chautauqua County residents to complete the 2020 Census. The census is conducted every 10 years to count everyone living in the United States and its five territories.

“These grant funds will help further our action plan of having an accurate count for our County in the 2020 Census,” said PJ Wendel, Chautauqua County Executive. “The census helps determine where billions of dollars in federal funding go each year. By having each household complete the survey, it will help direct important funding towards medical care, libraries, school lunches and many more programs across our county to further support our residents. For our residents who still need to respond, I urge you to please take a moment to complete and submit your Census information by September 30th.”

Chautauqua County is collaborating with the United Way of Northern Chautauqua County (UWNCC) and other nonprofits to raise awareness about the Census in our communities. Through this grant funding, they will be able to provide advertisements such as television, radio, and billboard ads; and bi-lingual posters, brochures, booklets and other printed materials to remind residents to complete the census.

“These collaborative efforts will ensure that critical services and programs are available to residents throughout Chautauqua County,” said Adam Dolce, Executive Director of UWNCC. “Our ability to repair roads, fund schools, and provide essential health and wellness programs are affected by the US Census, as is our ability to be heard in Congress. We are thankful for the efforts of our Community partners, elected officials, and others in our community that have helped to get the word out on how important the Census is to our Region.”

The 2020 Census can be completed by:

• Mail by using the questionnaire that was mailed to each household earlier this year;

• Phone by calling 844-330-2020 (English) or 844-468-2020 (Spanish) any day from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., or

• Online by visiting my2020census.gov.

For more information about the 2020 Census, visit https://2020census.gov/.