NC State Grad Named CNN Hero
Doc Hendley ’04 has been named a CNN Hero for tapping into his bartending experience “to save thousands of lives on the other side of the world.” He’s founder and executive director of Wine to Water, an international faith-based organization in Boone that installs running water and sanitation systems in the neediest parts of the world.
The 30-year-old first learned about the world’s water crisis when he took a break from college, and his job as a bar-keep, to travel the world; he hoped it would ground his education and provide some direction. It did.
“I began seeing the figures [of] people that don’t have access to clean water — and it absolutely floored me,” he recalls.
Waterborne diseases cause 1.8 million deaths every year, according to 2004 data from the World Health Organization.
Wine to Water has installed water-sanitation systems in the Sudan and in India, and has set up 40 wells in Cambodia and five in Ethiopia. It’s also building two training centers in northern Uganda to teach locals how to access clean water without having to rely on foreign aid.
“The whole goal is to leave one day and let the locals take over the work themselves,” Hendley told NC State magazine.
Look for more from Hendley in NC State’s summer issue. Also read a Q&A he did with TakePart.com during World Water Week in March and follow him and Wine to Water on Twitter.
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How about announcing this at the football game on Saturday and ask the fans to vote.
Good idea, Cathy. I’m not sure what kind of rules they have about announcements at football games, but I’ll pass along the suggestion to the folks in Athletics. If it can’t be done this weekend, maybe they can do it for the next home game–Homecoming on Nov. 7 against UMd.
Definitely a great idea! If we can’t support our alums who are out changing the world with a little help from Athletics and the WPC, then we should really question the motivation and goals of the two.