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Do you remember sitting at your desk in school, and your teacher taking roll?

A loud “Present!” would escape my lips when my name was called.

And a loud present should be heard from all of us as the Sept. 30 deadline nears to fill out the 2020 Census.

Throughout town, there are signs posted, encouraging us to fill out the census.

It’s important, and here’s why.

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts a census of the United States every 10 years, going all the way back to 1790. The data collected during the census is used in a variety of ways that affect decisions regarding community services provided to residents and the distribution of more than $675 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year. This funding supports local programs for schools, health care, community assistance, infrastructure and other important needs. The census also determines the number of representatives each state will have in Congress.

The census counts every person – both adults and children – living in the United States. This information helps monitor changes in communities and is used to identify and address public service needs such as health care, education, public safety, housing, food and rural access to broadband.

In Atmore, the self-response rate is right at 58.3 percent, or just 4 percentage points under the state response rate.

We need to be counted.

To complete the census application, go to my2020census.gov to complete the forms. It takes only a few minutes and could save Alabama’s funding.

This will not take long to complete. It only takes a few minutes.

Just like roll call took in school, mark yourself present in the census.