An official kick-off ceremony will begin at 2:30 p.m. featuring local government and school officials and representatives from the U.S. Census Bureau. The regional road tour will feature interactive displays that will familiarize people with the 10-question forms that will begin arriving in mailboxes in mid-March and literature will be provided about the importance of the census.

The City of Conway and Horry County have Partnership Agreements with the US Census Bureau and have appointed Complete Count Committees to promote getting good counts in Conway and Horry County. The financial rewards of getting a good count are significant and amount to $30 per person for the City and $50 per person for the County each year of the ten year period between census counts. Additionally, federal funding for cities and counties is based on population reflected by the census counts. Each year, $300 billion are distributed to communities by the federal government and amounts received are many times based on population and other census information.

Testing will also be available during this event to see if people qualify for a census job. Individuals can earn from $11.50 an hour to $13 an hour, plus mileage reimbursement and paid training. People who plan to test this day need to bring either a current passport for identification, or two other forms of ID, such as a Driver’s License and Social Security card. Individuals will complete a job application and take a 28-question, multiple choice basic skills test.

For additional testing site and times, please call toll-free (866) 861-2010. A practice test is available online at www.2010CensusJobs.gov. You are strongly encouraged to take the practice test since it is a timed test.