Paying for tap water has led to a wave of relief for about one million children worldwide, and University students can add to this number in March by participating in the internationally recognized, UNICEF-sponsored Tap Project. The Tap Project is a fundraising program that takes place during World Water Week (March 22-28) and was created to provide clean, safe drinking water to children worldwide. It started in New York City in 2007 and is now being introduced in Bowling Green under the direction of Paul Hemminger, a sophomore marketing major. ‘It’s my desire to find how other people live,’ Hemminger said. ‘Basically, I’ve taken it upon my own accord to find reliable students that want to save the world.’ According to UNICEF, about 900 million people don’t have access to safe drinking water, and about 42,000 children die every day from waterborne diseases. The organization states that it wants to lower the number of people lacking safe water and basic sanitation by 2015.’ ‘ Hemminger started planning for a Bowling Green version of the Tap Project after finding materials online’ at www.tapproject.org. The Web site says the project is implemented through restaurants that ask customers if they are willing to donate $1 or more for tap water (which is usually free). The money raised goes to UNICEF and supports its efforts to give children clean, accessible water. Since 2007, about one million children have been provided with clean drinking water through the Tap Project, according to a Tap Project poster. Hemminger is working to organize students to visit local restaurants and ask owners if they will participate in the project. He estimated that between 14 and 20 students will visit around 70 restaurants in the area. Restaurants must be registered by March 8. ‘The whole volunteering thing really shouldn’t take that much effort,’ Hemminger said. ‘It’s just getting trained, telling the restaurants and signing them up. The rest of the project is just being there for [the restaurants] as they’re going through it.’ Six University students, including Hemminger, went to a Tap Project training conference last weekend in Chicago. Besides four students from the University of Toledo, Hemminger said his group was ‘actually the only group kind-of outside the Chicago area.” ‘ ‘We had an amazing time,’ he said. ‘It kind-of became our task to live differently.’ ‘ Hemminger made fliers, a Facebook group and YouTube videos to notify University students of the Tap Project, and his friend, senior Danny Burns, set up three student training meetings this past week. Hemminger also contacted several local media outlets to inform them of the project. Burns has already promoted the Tap Project at El Zarape, Reverend Chico’s, the Easy Street Cafe and several Chinese restaurants in town. He said none of the restaurants have committed yet, but many of them ‘seemed pretty responsive.’ Hemminger said he hopes students will be responsive to the Tap Project as well. He would like to see students going to restaurants during World Water Week and donating to the cause, carrying around water as a visual reminder and donating in canisters placed around campus. ‘We want to be noticed. We want the awareness to be everywhere,’ Hemminger said. ‘We want everyone to be involved ‘hellip; making a change, progressing toward a better future.’