Wine to Water

I’d never heard of Doc Hendley, 30, until today, but he’s officially earned the rank of hero in my books. Back in 2003, when he was working as a bar tender, he literally dreamed up the idea of Wine to Water, a non-profit organization that provides clean water to people around the world.

When the idea came to me to start Wine To Water the only real world job experience I had was tending bar. I dreamed of building an organization that fought water related death and disease using completely different methods than anyone else. So I started raising money to fight this water epidemic the best way I knew how, by pouring wine and playing music.

He started raising money at wine tasting events, and took the procedes to Samaritan’s Purse, to support their well-drilling operation. But instead of just taking the money, the head of Samaritan’s Purse taught him how to drill so he could use the cash he raised to do his own water work in Sudan.

While he was there, he noticed that

“big organizations came along with million dollar grants and half-million dollar drills to meet a quota of 50 wells in six months to successfully complete their grant, only to get another. It’s like a business. That’s how they make their money. And that really upset me.

Besides, he had a better way. Instead of popping a hole in the ground and leaving he’s teaching people how to dig their own wells. So they can sustain themselves. And each other. That is beautiful.

Via Tonic.