Ollerenshaw, a Redmond resident, is traveling with the 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour, which stopped in La Grande Friday.

The tour stopped at Max Square to convince Union County residents of the value of answering the 10 questions on the 2010 U.S. Census form, which residents will receive this month.

The questions take about 10 minutes to answer. The 10 minutes is time well spent, Ollerenshaw said. The census data will be used for the next 10 years to determine how much Union County will receive in federal funding.

Presently, Union County receives about $31 million a year in federal grants, or about $1,400 a person. This means that for each person counted, Union County will bring in $1,400 a year over the next decade.

Still, some people are leery of completing census forms, fearing the personal information they provide will be shared with others.

“There is a big brother misconception,’’ Ollerenshaw said.

He explained that federal law prevents personal information in the census from being released for 72 years. No exceptions are made, not even for the Department of Homeland Security or sitting U.S. presidents. Ollerenshaw cites the examples of Presidents Harry Truman and Richard Nixon in making his point.

He pointed out Friday that in 1950 the White House was being remodeled and Truman and his family had to temporarily move into a nearby neighborhood. Truman asked the U.S. Census Bureau to provide him information about his neighbors, but it refused because of the confidentiality rule.

Ollerenshaw also noted that four decades ago Nixon requested information about people who lived near his home in San Clemente, Calif., but again the Census Bureau refused to provide it.

Adding to the layer of secrecy is a lifetime oath of confidentiality that census workers take.

All must swear to never reveal any personal information they collect, said Maureen Anderson of Island City, who is the 2010 U.S. Census field manager for Union, Wallowa, Umatilla, Morrow, Sherman and Gilliam counties.

The 2010 Census Portrait of America Tour stopped at Max Square Friday in conjunction with midday activities that included a performance by the EOU Chamber Choir.

The 2010 Census Portrait of America Tour is stopping and exhibiting at more than 800 events nationwide.

Thirteen road vehicles, two of which stopped in La Grande Friday, are traveling about 150,000 miles to get the word out about the U.S. Census.

Earlier this year the Road Tour made stops at the Super Bowl in New Orleans and the Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Fla.