Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 16 June 2000 — Page 2

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

PAGE A2

FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2000

WE SALUTE OUR GRADUATES

ELEMENTARY, HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY GRADUATES Celebrate that special moment in a lifetime by sending a message of congratulations in the pages of The Indianapolis Recorder Zaiuteto-t&e (Zla&do-jfZOOO The Friday June 23rd edition of the Indianapolis Recorder nill pa> special tribute to the graduatin'; class of 2000. Our spcciall) designed pages nill feature a photograph of your graduate, their school and a 4 LINE MESSAGE FOR only $40.00. RECOGNIZE YOUR ACHIEVER Issue Date Friday, June 23rd, 2000 Photograph and Copy Deadline - Friday, June 16th at 3 p.m. Send $40.00 check or money order, your name, address, telephone number and your 4 line message to: The Indianapolis Recorder Graduates 2901 N. Tacoma Ave. Indianapolis IN 46218 Office (317) 9'24-5143

Out of the mouths of babes “I see kids my age hanging out late nights doing nothing, my mom says they are looking tor trouble ; and I wonder where are their mothers. The street has nothing to offer me, but trouble, I’d rather, practice on my 3 point shot or my free throws,” says Eric Shepherd II in his winning essay, which , provided him an opportunity to attend Atlanta Hawks forward Alan Henderson’s basketball camp. , The Indianapolis Recorder sponsored the essay contest. Pictured from the left are Recorder . promotions and circulation staffer China Jackson, Shepherd and Henderson.

Census down to 15,000 homes

By AMOS BROWN III Recorder Correspondent The 2000 Census has nearly achieved a major milestone. As of June 9th, the census had received questionnaires from or had visited 97 percent of the city-county’s households and housing units. After a slow start with just 62 percent of Indianapolis residents mailing back their census forms by the April 18 deadline, an army of census takers fanned out into every Indianapolis neighborhood. The hard work and repeated visits by these hardy census takers has resulted in the census reaching nearly every area household and housing unit. As of June 9, just 15.000 homes be contacted. Some 4,000 homes in the old city limits of

Indianapolis and another 11,000 out in the township areas. Speaking to reporters in a conference call from Washington last week. Census Bureau Director Dr. Kenneth Prewitt had nothing but praise for the census efforts. Calling the 2000 Census “The Good Census,” Dr. Prewitt gave special praise to census takers and other census employees. “Our employees, our enumerators (census takers) are the reasons for the success of this census”. The Indianapolis Census office, located in the downtown Federal Building, can be especially proud of their success. Only 54 percent of persons living in the area served by the Indianapolis census office had returned questionnaires by the April leadline. tMURllMIgte&efttotBr of census workers, 94 percent of

the remaining homes in the Indianapolis office’s jurisdiction had * been contacted as of last week. ■ By contrast, the Marion County census office, located on the far ^ Eastside which serves the city’s township neighborhoods, had only As contacted 88 percent of the remain- • : ing homes in their areas. * 2 Given that the Indianapolis cen- “.l sus office served the city’s work- ’A ing class and working poor neighborhoods, including a majority of :.<• Indianapolis’ Black and Hispanic I-*-* neighborhoods, the impressive ef- -A.' fort by the Indianapolis census of- ~ flee is nothing short of remarkable. >•:. If you have not been contacted by a census taker you still have time to respond by calling 226- ^ 0402. "8 o 1 .‘i,'-'k -n.rju - ' - i'j «