Greene County Habitat for Humanity and Habitat for Humanity Putnam County join the world in mourning the death of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and join observances worldwide 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.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Jimmy Carter. He helped open the doors to brighter futures for thousands of Habitat homeowners. I am proud to be a part of Habitat for Humanity and our work,” said Elaine Mathews, executive director of Greene County Habitat for Humanity.
“President Carter’s passing deeply saddens us, and our prayers are with the rest of 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 worldwide.”
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, Georgia, 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).
Each year since then until 2019, the Carters volunteered with Habitat to build or improve houses alongside homeowners in communities across the United States and worldwide.
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 share some of our blessings with those in need,” President Carter 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, so I wasn’t thrilled and inspired, and I wept.”
Over the last three decades, the Carter Work Project has touched lives worldwide by inspiring more than 108,000 volunteers across the U.S. and in 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.