Remembering former U.S. President Jimmy Carter

December 30, 2024

By Savannah Espiritu

Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region mourns the death of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter

CHARLOTTE, NC — Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region joins the world in mourning the death of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and joins observances worldwide to remember his life of service. He and Rosalynn Carter served as Habitat for Humanity’s most famous volunteers over the 35 years they helped to build affordable housing with the organization.

“The faith and service shown by President and Mrs. Carter to the mission of Habitat for Humanity remain an example of how vital stable and affordable housing is to every one of us,” said Habitat Charlotte Region CEO Laura Belcher. “Their unwavering commitment over these many years has been critical to our impact as a worldwide organization.”

Charlotte, North Carolina, hosted the 1987 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project. Hundreds of local volunteers built 14 homes in one week in the Optimist Park neighborhood alongside the former President and Mrs. Carter. In October 2023, the Carter Work Project returned to the city hosted by country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood to build 27 homes in the new Meadows at Plato Price neighborhood on Morris Field Drive. Habitat Charlotte Region recently completed the 39-home neighborhood, benefiting from a substantially accelerated timeline thanks to the return of the Carter Work Project.

“We are deeply saddened by President Carter’s passing, and our prayers are with the Carter family,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “President and Mrs. Carter began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity near their home in southwest Georgia, soon bringing worldwide attention to the need for decent and affordable housing. We are grateful for the incredible impact the Carters have had on Habitat and on the families who have benefited from their shining example. The Carters put Habitat for Humanity on the map, and their legacy will live on in every family we serve around the world.”

After leaving the White House, the Carters sought meaningful ways to continue their commitment to social justice and basic human rights. They first volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in Americus, Georgia, near their home in 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 in need of affordable housing. That trip marked Habitat for Humanity’s first Jimmy Carter Work Project (later renamed the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project). Each year since then, the Carters have volunteered with Habitat to build or improve houses alongside homeowners in communities across the United States and around the world. President Carter also served as a member of the organization’s board of directors from 1984-1987.

“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 has 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 that I wasn’t thrilled and inspired, and wept.”

Inspiring millions over the last three decades, President and Mrs. Carter worked alongside more than 104,000 volunteers across the U.S. and in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair 4,390 homes. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has served more than 46 million people worldwide.

In 2016, Habitat named President and Mrs. Carter as the inaugural Habitat Humanitarians for their extraordinary dedication to service in alignment with Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

Habitat for Humanity will be celebrating President Carter’s life of service with local observances. To learn more or to share a tribute, visit habitat.org.

Photos and videos of President and Mrs. Carter volunteering with Habitat for Humanity are available at www.habitat.ngo/cwpphotos.

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About Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region

Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat Charlotte Region brings people together from Pineville to Statesville to build strength, stability, and self-reliance through affordable homeownership. Since 1983, Habitat Charlotte Region has served nearly 4,800 families in the City of Charlotte, Pineville, the Lake Norman area, Iredell County, and Gaston County with affordable housing. Last year, Habitat Charlotte Region hosted the 37th Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, which brought more than 2,000 volunteers to Charlotte to construct 27 new homes in West Charlotte in the Meadows at Plato Price and on New Pineola Road. Visit https://www.habitatcltregion.org or call 704-376-2054 to learn more.

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About Habitat for Humanity

Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern Georgia. The Christian housing organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand-up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering, or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability, and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit www.habitat.org.

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December 30, 2024