President and Mrs. Carter spend one week building homes with Habitat for Humanity in Memphis, Tennessee
Homeowners and hundreds of volunteers will build and improve homes during Habitat’s 33rd Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project
ATLANTA (Aug. 22, 2016) – Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter today kicked off a week of working alongside Habitat for Humanity homeowners and hundreds of volunteers in Memphis, Tennessee, to build and repair homes during Habitat’s 33rd Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project.
“Rosalynn and I are thrilled to lend our hands in Memphis this week, and we look forward to working with Habitat homeowners and volunteers. Their dedication continues to inspire and motivate us each year,” said President Carter. “Decent shelter is something we all need to thrive. With the help of volunteers we will create strong, stable homes and communities.”
Country music stars and longtime Habitat volunteers Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will join the Carters during the week. Brooks and Yearwood have been helping Habitat build and strengthen communities in the U.S. and around the world since 2007.
Hosted by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis, volunteers will spend the week helping families build or improve places they can call home through new home construction, neighborhood beautification and home modifications for seniors. Projects include:
- Nineteen new homes in the Bearwater Park area just north of Uptown Memphis.
- Ten neighborhood beautification projects, including painting and landscaping.
- Six aging in place projects to enhance accessibility and mobility for seniors.
“We are grateful to President and Mrs. Carter, Garth and Trisha for working with us this week to help families build the foundation for a better future,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “Their support and commitment to Habitat’s mission has helped us make a long-lasting, tangible difference in the lives of every homeowner and volunteer who partners with us to empower communities through shelter.”
“It’s an incredible honor to have President and Mrs. Carter in Memphis to help us raise awareness and consciousness of the many housing issues faced by families in our community,” said Dwayne Spencer, president and CEO, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis. “We remain dedicated to addressing housing disparities by both our physical actions – pounding nails and raising walls – as well as by serving as a voice for so many who have few options to improve their housing situations.”
Since 1984, President and Mrs. Carter have traveled across the U.S. and the world with Habitat, donating their time and voices annually to build and improve homes and raise awareness of the critical need for decent and affordable housing. Inspiring millions over the last three decades, President and Mrs. Carter have worked alongside more than 92,260 volunteers in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair 3,944 homes.
Habitat’s Carter Work Project is made possible thanks to our volunteers, homeowners and the following national sponsors for this year’s build week: Tennessee Housing Development Agency; The Assisi Foundation of Memphis, Inc.; FedEx Corporation; The Plough Foundation Aging in Place Initiative; Bank of America; The Dow Chemical Company; Lowe’s; Memphis and Shelby County Community Redevelopment Agency; ServiceMaster; Altisource; AutoZone; City of Memphis, Division of Housing & Community Development and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati; First Tennessee Bank; Hope Church; Nissan North America; Oasis of Hope; and the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation.
To learn more about Habitat’s Carter Work Project, visit habitat.org/cwp/2016.
About Habitat for Humanity International
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity has grown from a grassroots effort that began on a community farm in southern Georgia in 1976 to a global nonprofit housing organization in nearly 1,400 communities across the U.S. and in over 70 countries. People 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 habitat.org.
About Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis
Since 1983, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis has been working to realize the vision that everyone in Memphis and Shelby County needs a decent place to live. Memphis Habitat partners with people in our community to help them build or improve places they can call home through new home construction, rehabilitation work and aging in place accessibility and mobility modifications for seniors. Memphis Habitat has helped more than 445 first-time homebuyers secure affordable mortgages and completed rehabilitation projects in partnership with more than 80 Uptown residents, helping them achieve the strength, stability and independence they need to build a better life for themselves and their families. For more information, please visit MemphisHabitat.com or follow Memphis Habitat on social media.