Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter's Habitat for Humanity legacy will continue, the organization says

Habitat for Humanity renewed the Carter Work Project this year to continue the pioneering work of former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in creating affordable housing.

Jimmy Carter died on Sunday at the age of 100, following the death of Rosalynn Carter at the age of 96 last year.

The Carter Work Project is an annual week-long event created in 1984 by the Carters, described by the organization as “two of the world's most distinguished humanitarian workers as dedicated Habitat volunteers.”

The October 2023 week-long event kicked off in North Carolina at Habitat Charlotte's sprawling affordable housing neighborhood, The Meadows at Plato Price.

Within five days, future homeowners and many more Habitat volunteers built 27 affordable single-family homes on nine acres of land. They were assisted by the Humanitarians and country music superstars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

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“While we could never fill their shoes, we are so incredibly honored to be given the opportunity to carry President and Mrs. Carter's legacy forward through the continuation of the Carter Work Project,” Brooks said in a statement.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter at the opening ceremony for the 2008 Carter Work Project in Biloxi, Mississippi, in May 2008. (Habitat for Humanity International / Angel Pachkowski)

The former first lady was a leading advocate for mental health, women's rights and care. Its mission to create decent housing for all will continue.

For four decades, the Carters have been strong supporters affordable housing for everyone, devoting a significant amount of his time to building and improving homes with Habitat for Humanity volunteers.

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While working with the organization in Americus, Georgia, in early 1984, the Carters saw “firsthand the effects of the lack of affordable housing,” according to Habitat.

In September of that year, the first Carter Work project took off, when the Carters brought dozens of volunteers from Habitat to New York to renovate a six-story apartment building. Since then, the project has become a week-long event that takes place in a different location around the world every year.

The Carters work on a house in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1987. (Habitat for Humanity International)

The Carters recognized that “to ensure the greatest success, families need a stable and affordable foundation to grow on. That often starts with a safe place to call home,” Habitat said. “With this deeply rooted mission at its core, the Carters and Habitat have formed a partnership.”

“Habitat provides a simple but effective way for people from different backgrounds to come together to achieve the most meaningful things in life. A decent home, yes, but also a real bond with our fellow man. A bond that comes with building walls and breaking down barriers .”

– Former US President Jimmy Carter

From the early 1980s through 2019, the Carters worked with more than 100,000 volunteers in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair nearly 4,400 homes through the Carter work Project, the organization says.

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Carter”inspired millions around the world with their dedication and have gathered thousands of volunteers and even celebrities to join our mission and help Habitat for Humanity become internationally recognized for our work to build decent and affordable housing,” said Habitat.

Former President Jimmy Carter presented the keys to Habitat homeowner Sunshine Salas at the dedication of her family's new home in the Philippines in 1999. (Habitat for Humanity International/Gregg Pachkowski)

The former president said the organization “provides a simple but effective way for people from different backgrounds to come together to achieve the most meaningful things in life.”

The North Carolina project is located in what Habitat described as a “once-thriving African-American neighborhood.” It was named after Plato Price School, which was closed in the 1960s during desegregation. The lot was left vacant until 2019, when the city of Charlotte donated it to Habitat.

The project broke ground in September 2021.