Pikes Peak Habitat Remembers Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter
Habitat provides a simple but powerful avenue for people of different backgrounds to come together to achieve those most meaningful things in life. A decent home, yes, but also a genuine bond with our fellow human beings. A bond that comes with the building up of walls and the breaking down of barriers.
-Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter
Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity joins other Habitat affiliates across the globe in expressing our sorrow at the passing of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. We extend our prayers and sympathy to the Carter family.
“We are so appreciative of President Carter’s life and his work in striving for dignity for all," said Kris Lewis, CEO of Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity.
President Carter's Involvement with Habitat for Humanity
- Honoring a Life of Service: Read Habitat for Humanity's tribute to President Carter.
- Sign the online memory book.
- Download a special issue of Habitat magazine (PDF) honoring the Carters.
- How Carter Turned Habitat for Humanity into a Nonprofit Juggernaut (Wall Street Journal, Dec. 29, 2024)
"President Carter will be remembered by many as much for his humanitarian work after he left the White House as for his years as the nation’s chief executive. It's impossible for me — as I’m sure it will be for you — to think of President Carter without remembering the houses he helped build and the lives he touched. The world came to know Habitat for Humanity largely because President and Mrs. Carter faithfully worked alongside volunteers in the heat and cold, in locations all around the globe, always with the knowledge that their work would help bring attention to Habitat’s important mission.
Habitat will miss President Carter deeply, and, like many of you, I am feeling the loss of my friend. And yet we know that many of the seeds he sowed — and that you continue to cultivate — have only just begun to bear fruit. His generous contributions to Habitat do not end here; his legacy now resides in all of us. I reflect today on how important each of you are to Habitat’s continued success, and I thank you once again for your service, your support and your compassion, especially in this moment of grief."
-Jonathan Reckford, Habitat for Humanity CEO
President and Mrs. Carter led the first Carter Work Project to New York City in 1984. Until 2020, the weeklong event continued annually throughout the world, with trips to work sites in the United States and 14 other countries. More than 108,000 volunteers on these projects built, renovated or repaired 4,447 homes alongside families in need of decent, affordable housing.
Habitat for Humanity International was founded in Americus, GA, in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller. They developed their concept of “partnership housing” while living at Koinonia Farm, an interracial community farm founded by biblical scholar Clarence Jordan.
The Carters’ 39-year involvement with the organization helped raise Habitat’s profile, impacting countless lives and furthering our mission of ensuring that everyone, everywhere has a decent, affordable place to live.
Check out a timeline of the Carter Work Project (PDF).
