Doc Hendley was visibly overwhelmed by the outpouring of support on NC State's campus Thursday afternoon.

"I'm humbled to be here," he told the crowd. "I don't deserve it."

The event was to celebrate Hendley being a top ten finalist for CNN's 2009 Heroes Award. Hendley, a 2004 NC State graduate, is the founder of the non-profit "Wine to Water", an organization he started in 2004 after he learned about the water crisis.

"Water killing more people than AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and what was shocking is I didn't know anybody knew that," said Hendley.

That's when getting clean water to other countries became his passion. Then a bartender, Hendley held several wine events around Raleigh to raise money for the cause.  Since then, the organization has taken off. Hendley and has non-profit have traveled around the world digging, repairing, and sanitizing drinking wells for 25,000 people in seven different countries.

"You can live years with different diseases, you can live months without food, but you can't live three days without water," said Hendley.

It is certainly an extraordinary effort, but Hendley impressed an important message to those in the crowd.

"There is absolutely nothing special about me," said Hendley. "I'm a very average individual that has a huge heart for helping people get through the water crisis."

If you'd like to help Hendley and his organization win the award, click here for a link to his website where you can vote. Voting ends on November 18th and the winner will be announced on CNN on Thanksgiving Day.

The winner will receive $100,000 which Hendley said will help them drill more than 100 wells and save 6,000 lives.