NILES TOWNSHIP — The Niles Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously Monday to allow a fundraising party to utilize the Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail in May.

Jeff Garr, general manager for The Lodge of Life Action ministries, discussed the event with township leaders during the regularly scheduled meeting. Garr is also a volunteer for World Vision and has helped to raise funds for the organization by participating in a marathon.

Garr explained that World Vision is a faith-based nonprofit that helps to raise money to provide clean drinking water for developing countries. Among the organization’s most popular fundraisers is a run. Garr said he wanted to further the nonprofit’s mission and get the local community involved.

The World Vision 6K for Water run will take place from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Saturday, May 4, starting at the trail near the township building, 320 Bell Road.

A post-race breakfast will take place at Community Evangelical Free Church, 120 E. Bertrand Road. People can choose to run or walk the event.

Registration fees will support the cause. Garr’s goal is to raise $1,500.

Supervisor Jim Stover said the project sounded like an ideal use of the community trail.

“To me, it sounds like a very good project that we should be involved in,” Stover said.

Township trustees agreed. Garr said the event would require no human resources on the township’s part.

Garr said he has gone on many mission trips to Haiti and South America. His work on these trips first inspired him to get involved in the cause. According to Garr, it is estimated that 844 million people don’t have access to clean water.

“I have seen people drink dirty water. I’m always washing my hands, so I don’t get sick and to think that kids are walking miles to get water that would make me sick [is sad],” Garr said. “I saw that in Haiti. I saw that when I worked in South America.”

The race distance, of 3.7 miles, is the equivalent that an average person in a developing country would have to walk to get water. Garr said that instead of spending time in school, children are walking long distances to get water instead.

Garr encouraged people to get involved in the event and run or walk to provide clean water for those who need it.

Those interested can sign up for the event by visiting the event website, at teamworldvision.org/team/NilesMI. The registration fee is $50 for adults and $25 for youth under 18.

Also Monday:

• The trustees voted unanimously to take action on engineering and sewer improvements next meeting, instead of Monday so that township leaders could get more information.

• Trustees unanimously approved to update the server and computers for a grand total of plus or minus $11,650.

• Trustees voted unanimously to seek out bids for repairing roads in Shamrock Hills.