The volunteers armed with posters, fliers, key-chains, pens and coloring books almost resemble the start of a political campaign, but these area leaders aren’t looking for a vote, just participation.

Even though Mower County residents won’t open their mailboxes to see the 2010 census until March, community leaders are already working to make sure that everyone knows the importance of being counted in the 2010 census.

The Austin Complete Count Committee has been meeting for months to plan for the census. These volunteers are already equipped with posters in English and Spanish, chip clips and pens that advertise for the 2010 census, and even a U.S. Census Bureau coloring book with a maze for children to “help Emily find her way home where she will be counted.”

While volunteers are planning to pass out information at school, churches and other public locations, census officials are targeting groups that have traditionally been difficult to count, like snowbirds and minorities — including illegal immigrants.

The census will be safe and private, and Ami Nafzger, a partnership specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau, said information the information will remain private for up to 72 years.

Miguel Garate, who is working to get the message out to the minority community, stressed the importance that everyone is counted.

“My main concern is to give them the right information about how important it is to be counted,” said Garate, who is the multicultural adviser at Riverland Community College. “That’s my main goal: to get the community involved, to get all the different nationalities involved, because we do have great diversity in Austin.”

Jim Burroughs, treasurer of the Senior Center board, said the focus with seniors is emphasizing the importance of filling out the census form for Austin.

Mower County Seniors Inc. Director Sara Schafer is working to tell snowbirds to register to be counted in Minnesota, and she’s also looking to provide seniors help to fill out their census forms.

“We need everybody who’s main residence is Austin to fill out the paperwork for Austin,” she said.

Mower County Seniors signed up to be an informational center where people can stop for assistance. Schafer said she hopes a census representative will be stationed in the office.

Advocates from Mower County Seniors will be available to help shut-ins and seniors who may not open their mail, Schafer said. People can stop at the office for help, and Schafer said some volunteers will be available to go to seniors’ houses to help them participate in the census.

Mower County Seniors plans to advertise about the census, and Schafer said information will also be included in newsletters.

Area leaders have been meeting and discussing methods to target large groups of people. Such areas include grocery stores, churches, schools, the library and other places. The committee even discussed handing out materials at areas where parents and children go to see Santa Claus.

Garate is working to pass the message along to minorities in the community. Garate plans to target people playing indoor soccer played at the YMCA and soon at the El Parral Ballroom.

Another thing area people will target will be the celebration for Our Lady of Guadalupe is going to be held at Queen of Angels Church the weekend of Dec. 12. Garate said a booth will be set up there to communicate with people about the importance of the census.

Garate scheduled a meeting with 12 to 15 other community minority leaders to get the word out about the importance of participating in the census. The meeting will include people from Honduras, Guatemala, Sudan, Somalia, Puerto Rico and Cuba, Garate said.

This meeting will be a way to share information and inform people of how they can help get people involved in the census.

“I want everyone to get involved,” Garate said. “This census is very important.”

One key part of the message is the census will be available in different languages, and people will be volunteering to translate when necessary.

Garate said he doesn’t want the census to focus on the immigration issue, and stressed that it’s important for everyone to be counted. He referred to an illegal immigrant who may have child who is a U.S. citizen, and he said participating in the survey would go to ensuring community programs and funds that will benefit that child.

“If we count everybody in the community … we’re going to have access to maybe more opportunities to increase our programs, and we’re going to get our town looking better and better all the time,” Garate said.

This census has added importance because Minnesota is at risk of losing one of it’s eight congressional seats.

Jose Rivera, who plans to work as a translator leading up to the census, said it’s important for people in the community to be proactive concerning the census because a lot of people aren’t aware of that it’s coming up.

The leaders of the community, Rivera said, will play a key role in getting people involved.

“The leaders of the community are the key to move any event in order for it to be a success,” Rivera said.

While it may seem early to be promoting the census when the survey will be mailed to residences around March 15, Garate said it will take time for the message to sink in.

“You’re talking about three months, and three months goes fast,” he added.

Efforts to inform snowbirds date back to the Mower County Fair in August, as Schafer said that served as a good time to ensure people hadn’t already traveled south.