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Asian American Community Celebration pushes census

The Rev. Alexander Chu and his wife, Michelle, have been busy this year. They joined the Asian American Institute earlier this year to promote the census within their faith-based community, specifically Living Water Evangelical Church in Naperville.

The couple have been working in the Chicago area for the past 15 years, partnering with area churches and working to build relationships.

"During this campaign, we've impacted more than 15 churches and over 6,000 people. That number is still climbing," Chu said.

He also says a March 27 event will mark the culmination of their efforts. Living Water Evangelical Church will host the Asian American Community Celebration, sponsored by the Asian American Institute and Impact 2010, a coalition of faith-based ministries. The event will promote the importance of completing and returning the 2010 Census.

To help do that, Linda Yu, co-anchor of ABC 7 Chicago News, will give the keynote address.

"She is a trustworthy and respected spokesperson who will inspire us with her message and say that our voice really does matter," Chu said.

In addition, there will be live entertainment, games and light refreshments. Representatives from the Asian American Institute will be present to answer questions about the census.

"This will be right before April 1, the official date for the census to be completed. It's the last push for that. People can ask questions at the booth and can turn their census forms in right there," Chu said.

Why so much effort? Because of its importance in determining the allocation of funding, "the census is the decision of a decade," Chu said.

Steve Chou, a member of the church, said the Asian American Community Celebration was initiated "because we recognize that the census is something that often people don't pay attention to. We realize that this is especially true in the Asian community. We want to promote awareness so that people will know what the census is about and what kind of impact it will have on the Asian community."

"The census form is important to fill out to accurately allocate over $400 billion a year in federal and state funding for schools, hospitals, public transportation, roads and social services," Chu said. "For the Asian-American community, filling out the census is also important to gain a fair representation and to ensure that our community receives its share of benefits, funding and services."

The Chus have been working with a larger campaign, too.

"What we're doing is part of a larger campaign," Chu said. "There will be events held throughout the country, with Illinois celebrating Census 2010 Make Yourself Count Week of Action at various locations through March 28.