News Releases

OICA Disappointed Census Enumeration Cut Short

October 14, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Joe Dorman, CEO – Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy

Telephone: (405) 833-1117

Email: jdorman@oica.org

OICA Disappointed Census Enumeration Cut Short

Chili Cookoff a “Go” for Saturday

OKLAHOMA CITY – The chief executive officer of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) expressed disappointment in the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that effectively shut down Census counting of citizens.

“There will be Americans – and Oklahomans – who will not be counted, and for a small state like ours that undercount could be devastating,” said Joe Dorman. “We have worked hand-in-hand with the U.S. Census Bureau to make sure every Oklahoman – especially every young Oklahoman – is counted. We even had Census enumerators scheduled for our chili cookoff this weekend.

The press release from the Census Bureau can be read at https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/2020-census-data-collection-ending.html.

Dorman said the dedicated professionals at the U.S. Census Bureau were a pleasure to work with and he is grateful for their tireless efforts.

“The desire to end counting did not come from the Census professionals across the nation,” he said. “We are especially grateful to the Census workers stationed in Oklahoma, the team from the Dallas regional office, and especially those Oklahomans who were hired as enumerators to ensure their neighbors were counted.”

The final opportunity to ensure you and your entire household can be a part of the 2020 Census count for Internet self-response will be 5:00 am Central Daylight Time on October 16, 2020 here in Oklahoma.  Paper responses must be postmarked by October 15, 2020.  Phone responses will also conclude on the regularly scheduled time on October 15.  To complete your Census count, go to okletscount.org for more information on how to submit your information prior to the deadline.

While enumerators will not be at OICA’s Political Hacks Chili Cookoff, Dorman said the event still will be a great time. “We will have opportunities for blood donations, notaries and a copier to help voters complete absentee ballots, access to flu shots, and – of course – some of the best chili anywhere!”

To get more information about the chili cookoff, including opportunities to cook if your chili is worthy of the battle, go to https://oica.org. The chili cookoff will run from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17; chili chefs can start cooking at 8 a.m. It is free to enter chili and to sample each cooker’s entry.  Donations are accepted, and event t-shirts will be on sale.  Additionally, hot dogs are provided by Schwab Meat and Café 7 in Oklahoma City.

An online silent auction also is part of the event in which anyone in attendance or from home can bid on great prizes, with all proceeds going to support OICA and its partners. To browse the items or make a bid, go to https://one.bidpal.net/chilicookoff2020/welcome. You can also purchase raffle tickets for great prizes at https://apps.oica.org/portal/upcoming-events-online-registration?EV=244.

You must register in advance to be a blood donor at the event. Go to https://www.yourbloodinstitute.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/342405 to sign up. There, you can select a time on Saturday to make your donation during the chili cookoff.

Proceeds from this event go to support the work of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, The Donna Nigh Foundation, and Children’s Hospital of Oklahoma.

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