Diamondbacks Outfielder Upton and Other Major League Players Remind Residents It's Not Too Late to Mail Back Census Forms

Their Public Service Announcements are Online and On Air

WASHINGTON, April 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton is the newest addition to a growing list of U.S. athletes who have recorded public service announcements (PSAs) for the 2010 Census. The list includes major league baseball players Yovani Gallardo (Brewers), Pablo Sandoval (Giants), Jay Bruce (Reds) and Howie Kendrick (Angels); Olympic athletes Elena Hight (snowboarding), Ryan St. Onge (aerial skier), Julie Chu (hockey player), Ben Agosto (ice dancer) and Jennifer Rodriguez (speed skater); and NASCAR's Greg Biffle.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

The five major league baseball players' PSAs were released at the start of baseball season to remind residents that they have a little more than a week left to mail back their census forms and avoid having a census taker visit in early May.

The U.S. Census Bureau's PSA campaign is meant to raise public awareness about the 2010 Census and motivate people to fill out their forms and mail them back. There is no cost to the taxpayers for each speaker's time or for the airtime to broadcast over television or radio. The involvement of these trusted voices extends the reach of paid, earned and social media.

Upton, originally from Norfolk, Va., was honored as Baseball America's National High School Player of the Year in 2005 and USA Today's Minor League Player of the Year in 2007. He finished 2009 with a .300 batting average, 26 home runs and 86 RBI for the Diamondbacks and was named to the National League All-Star team.

"Baseball is a game of numbers," Upton says in his PSA. "We count everything. And our country does something similar every 10 years. We count everyone. It's the 2010 Census. Step up to the plate and be counted."

The current gallery of PSAs include many well known Americans and is meant to increase participation in the 2010 Census. Miss America Caressa Cameron urges everyone to, "Be a winner. Fill out your form and mail it back." Pop singer and dancing star Donny Osmond says, "The information you provide will help your community get the federal funding -- and representation in Congress -- that it deserves." Even Nickelodeon's animated character Dora the Explorer chimes in, saying, "We did it! Yay! Everybody counts on the census form, especially little kids!"

WHERE TO FIND PSAs

2010 Census PSAs can be seen, heard, and in some cases downloaded, at the following sites:

2010census.gov -- Official site for the 2010 Census. The Multimedia Center is a one-stop shop for information and media resources, including PSAs, videos and photos. 2010census.gov

U.S. Census Bureau's YouTube Channel -- Home to PSAs, TV ads, partnership testimonials and how to "Fill Out Your Form" videos in dozens of languages. uscensusbureau

2010 Census PSA Spot Source -- The place for everyone to download or order hard copies from a wide selection of PSAs in English and en Espanol.  spotsource.census.gov

NAB Spot Center -- The place for broadcasters to preview and download national PSAs in English and en Espanol.  http://www.nab.org/AM/ASPCode/SpotCenter/campaign.asp?id=68

ABOUT THE 2010 CENSUS

The 2010 Census is a count of everyone living in the United States and is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Census data are used to apportion congressional seats to states, to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds to tribal, state and local governments each year and to make decisions about what community services to provide. The 2010 Census form will be one of the shortest in U.S. history, consisting of 10 questions, taking about 10 minutes to complete. Strict confidentiality laws protect the respondents and the information they provide.

Editor's note: News releases, reports and data tables are available on the Census Bureau's home page. Go to http://www.census.gov and click on "Releases."

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

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