Wine to Water: A Bartender’s Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World

When Hendley learned about the world water crisis and that “unclean water kills a child every twenty seconds” he was just a bartender in a small town in North Carolina who spent most of his time drinking and playing music in bars or riding his Harley. In an effort to raise money for clean-water projects, he did what he knew best and threw fund-raising parties, which led to his founding the nonprofit Wine to Water. Hendley, who was named a CNN Hero in 2010, made sure his organization’s funds directly benefited those in need, and he became an aid worker in Darfur, Sudan. Whether he is describing being shot at by the janjaweed militia; the dedication of his who co-workers who pray five times a day; how to dig a grave in the desert; or children’s excitement when a well starts pumping out water, he illuminates the facts of the crises in a very human way. Hendley’s humanitarian work in Africa (and Haiti, where he headed after the 2010 earthquake) is inspiring, especially considering how many lives he has influenced despite how little he knew about water problems before he started. At the core, however, is the story of Hendley himself: a coming-of-age tale about a young man who as a teen rebelled against his “preacher man” dad to become “the life of the party” only to figure out that he “didn’t have to be a perfect do-gooder to actually do some good in this world.” (Jan.)