Carter’s commitment
When President Carter passed away, Habitat for Humanity lost one of our leading voices and one of our most tireless volunteers.
During my first Carter Work Project, a homeowner shared a sentiment that sums up as well as anything why we do what we do. Outside Mumbai, India, during a joyful house dedication, a man named Aziz draped his arm across the shoulders of one of his new neighbors and said, “We come from different faiths and castes, but now we are brothers.”
It is a memory I carry, and I have met so many Habitat volunteers and supporters who certainly seem to have similar touchstones.
“The leadership he invested in Habitat for so many years does not end here. It will simply continue to flourish, not only in the changed lives of the families with whom we partner, but in the changed hearts of all of us who build.”— Jonathan Reckford, Habitat for Humanity CEO
In volunteering with and supporting Habitat for more than 35 years — and through their work with The Carter Center — President and Mrs. Carter brought people together on so many levels.
They were true friends to this ministry and staunch advocates for people everywhere who suffer from poor health and housing, from political oppression, and from the enormous pressures that poverty imposes. They also were the deepest inspiration for countless others who have engaged in our mission, picking up everything from hammers to telephones in the name of affordable housing.
One of President Carter’s greatest gifts to Habitat was his servant commitment. His international profile brought enormous attention to both the need for and the value of the work that Habitat does. But Carter didn’t simply choose to stand in the spotlight that followed him.
Through the years, he slept in tents on Habitat build sites, worked in the heat and cold, took photos with volunteers in torrential downpours, and his spirit never faltered. I am grateful for his example and for his longstanding commitment to Habitat. We will miss him terribly.— Jonathan Reckford, Habitat for Humanity CEO
And yet, the seeds he sowed while he was alive — seeds of awareness, of dedication and compassion — have only just begun to bear fruit. The leadership he invested in Habitat for so many years does not end here. It will simply continue to flourish, not only in the changed lives of the families with whom we partner, but in the changed hearts of all of us who build.
