Dear Editor,
Greene County Habitat for Humanity and Habitat for Humanity Putnam County joins the world in mourning the death of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and joins observances around the world to remember his life of service.
He and Rosalynn Carter were among Habitat for Humanity’s most famous volunteers. For 35 years, they helped build affordable housing with the organization.
After leaving the White House, the Carters sought out meaningful ways to continue their commitment to social justice and fundamental human rights. They first volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in Americus, near their home of Plains, in March 1984. Later that same year, the Carters joined Habitat volunteers in New York City’s Lower East Side to renovate an abandoned building in partnership with families needing affordable housing. That trip marked Habitat for Humanity’s first Jimmy Carter Work Project (later renamed the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project).
From 1984 to 1987, the Carters volunteered with Habitat each year until 2019, building or improving houses alongside homeowners in communities across the United States and worldwide. President Carter also served on the organization’s board of directors from 1984 to 1987.
“I think every human being has within himself or herself a desire to reach out to others and to share some of our blessings with those who are in need,” President Carter once said. “What’s opened up that avenue for me and my wife and hundreds and thousands of others is Habitat for Humanity. It makes it easy for us to reach out and work side by side with the homeowner who’s never had a decent house, perhaps. I haven’t been on a Habitat project, and I wasn’t thrilled, inspired, or wept.”
Over the last three decades, the Carter Work Project has touched lives worldwide by inspiring more than 108,000 volunteers in the U.S. and 14 countries to build, renovate, and repair 4,447 Habitat homes. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has served more than 62 million people worldwide.
In 2016, Habitat named President and Mrs. Carter the inaugural Habitat Humanitarians for their extraordinary dedication to service, which aligns with Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
Elaine Mathews, Greene County Habitat for Humanity
Editor’s note: U.S. President Jimmy Carter (1977-81) died Dec. 29 at home in Plains.