Tithe program

Through Habitat for Humanity’s tithe program, our U.S. affiliates are expected to contribute 10% of their unrestricted revenue each year in support of Habitat’s global ministry.

How Habitat helped shape former first lady Rosalynn Carter

For over 30 years, former first lady Rosalynn Carter dedicated her voice, time and energy to building and advocating for affordable housing alongside Habitat. She once sat down with us to share why the mission of a decent, affordable home kept her coming back year after year.

For over 30 years, former first lady Rosalynn Carter dedicated her voice, time and energy to building and advocating for affordable housing alongside Habitat. Through her tireless work, she helped build thousands of homes and touched the lives of homeowners and volunteers across the world. 

Honoring Rosalynn Carter

She once sat down with us to share how Habitat’s life-changing work impacted her and why the mission of a decent, affordable home kept her coming back year after year.

Q: What does home mean to you?

A: My home is a haven for me. Jimmy and I do a lot of things, and I am always glad to get back home. My things are there. My memories are there. It is just security and safety for me.

Q: Why is a home important for families?

A: We have been with Habitat for so long and have seen so many people finally have a home. It really does change their lives and the lives of their whole family. It gives them a sense of belonging, a sense of self-esteem. When somebody has a home, they don’t have to struggle as much to find a place to stay. They have more time for family, more time for children. It is just life-changing.

Q: Why do you build with Habitat year after year?

A: If you could see the expression on the faces of the people when we give them a Bible and the keys to their house, you would know why. It is just so inspiring. It is really emotional. We always cry. It’s the families that keep us going.”

Q: What do you hope families have learned from you?

A: I hope they feel that we really care about them and that they have a home to live in.

Q: What have you learned from Habitat families?

A: I have become aware of the great needs of people who don’t have a home. Their values are just the same as ours. They want an opportunity to have good lives. That is what Habitat is about. It just makes you want to keep building more houses.

Q: What has it been like building with Habitat?

A: The first house we ever worked on was in New York City. It was an old burned out building — the rafters were charred where people had been burning stuff to keep warm.

I told Jimmy that I would help with the food, that I was not going to do hammering. The only thing I had ever done was to nail a nail into the wall to hang a picture. Jimmy asked me and some other women to pry up some linoleum from the floor. Just before we finished, somebody brought some boards for us to nail down. The first day, I was hammering.

I am a fairly accomplished carpenter now. I’ve even framed a door, which is not easy. I never dreamed I would be a carpenter. And I really enjoy doing it, too. It is so much fun to see a house go up.

Q: What’s it like building with Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks?

A: They are wonderful workers — they work solid all day long. I have seen her lying on her back on a rafter hammering. I have been impressed from the first year they came, and they have come a good many now.

Q: What’s it like building alongside President Carter?

A: We do most things together, but this is so different. It is a good feeling to be together with him. Some of our children go with us almost every time. It is just a wonderful, wonderful experience.

Q: Why people should volunteer with Habitat?

A: So many people want to do something good and don’t know what to do. For anybody who wants to get involved with an organization, there is nothing that they could do that would give them such a life-changing experience as Habitat.

This is something that brings together people who have everything they need and those who don’t have so many things we take for granted. You come to know the homeowner and love the homeowner and their family. It makes you aware and care about the people and hope they have good lives and good homes.

It has made me a better person.

Carter Work Project

We have been honored to have two of the world’s most respected and renowned people as dedicated and hardworking Habitat volunteers for more than 35 years. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter have been tireless advocates, active fundraisers and some of our best hands-on construction volunteers. 

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Video: In memoriam

For more than three decades, Rosalynn Carter and her husband President Jimmy Carter donated their time and voices to help Habitat build with more families around the world. 

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Rosalynn Carter meeting with homeowners in Haiti.

How Habitat helped shape former first lady Rosalynn Carter

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Rosalynn Carter shaking hands with volunteers.

Habitat magazine

Our Habitat magazine illustrates the mission at the center of all our work – ensuring people in our communities and around the world can achieve the safety and stability of affordable homeownership. Journey through the impact of Habitat with our collection of Habitat magazine issues.

A home where hope blossoms

After her partner died, Dina feared that she would be unable to make ends meet on a single income and wanted nothing more than to provide a safe and stable home for her daughters. Now, her dreams are coming true with support from Habitat and Wells Fargo Builds.

“This is going to be our last address,” Dina says with a laugh of joy and relief. The mother of two has wanted nothing more than to provide a safe and stable home for her daughters, 11-year-old Gabby and 6-year-old Cecilia. Now that she’s partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Denton County to build a home of her own, Dina’s dreams are coming true. “Habitat is awesome and a blessing to open doors for families like us,” she says.

The new home represents a bright and hopeful new beginning for Dina and her daughters. When her partner died, Dina feared that she would be unable to make ends meet on a single income and she would be forced to move her family. “I felt like it was going to be really hard for me to maintain that monthly payment on the lease,” says Dina, who works at a middle school as a registrar. She also worried about needed repairs and safety concerns in her rental home, including low-hanging electrical wires in the backyard.

Dina’s fears for the future began to fade when saw an advertisement for Habitat Denton County. “I saw an ad that said Habitat was opening applications for families that wanted to apply, and I went for it,” she says.   

Building a brighter future

Once Dina was approved for Habitat’s homeownership program, she was excited to complete her sweat-equity hours by working alongside other families and volunteers, and she’s become a welcome presence while helping out at the local Habitat ReStore. “She’ll do whatever it takes, whatever we need, and she does it with a huge smile on her face,” says Lora Blakeslee Atkinson, executive director of Habitat Denton County.

Dina’s new home will be twice the size of her rental home. Gabby and Cecilia will have their own rooms, and Dina will pay an affordable mortgage — less than what she currently pays in rent, allowing her to enroll her daughters in extracurricular activities. “The little one wants to do soccer, the other wants to join orchestra, and I’m going to be able to afford these things for them,” says Dina.

Dina's two young daughters stand together in a garden.

A grant from Wells Fargo Builds was integral to supporting the construction of Dina’s home. “It was wonderful when they chose us for this round of funding,” says Lora. “It really did make a difference on Dina’s home and allows us to build because of their generosity.”

“Everyone deserves a decent place to live, and housing stability is foundational for all humanity,” says M. Isabel Barnes, a Wells Fargo commercial banking relationship manager who has volunteered with Habitat Denton County. “At Wells Fargo, we want to be able to create pathways for families to have access to affordable, safe and quality homes and be able to focus on what’s important so our communities can grow and develop.”

Little hands, big dreams

Gabby and Cecilia are making plans for their new rooms. “I took them yesterday to go see what we have done at the house so far,” says Dina. “And they go, ‘I want to put my bed this way, and I want to put my bookshelf right here.’ It’s just exciting to see them happy.”  

Soon, the girls will also have a safe place to play where they can dream up new adventures, including building a fairy garden in the yard. “Every time we go to the store, they go to the garden section, and they find the little stones and find the little fairies,” says Dina, who is looking forward to planting roses and vegetables.

The family of three will be moving into their new home in time to celebrate the holidays. Dina’s already thinking about where a Christmas tree will go. “In the house where we are now, a Christmas tree doesn’t fit. We tried to get a little one,” says Dina. “I can’t wait to have a Christmas tree, an actual Christmas tree, for the girls to have in the living room.”

A home with room to grow

Sharnita applied to become a Habitat homeowner because she wanted to provide a better life for her children. “Having a home where my kids feel peaceful, loved and safe is the most important thing to me,” says the mother of five and U.S. Air Force veteran.

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A legacy of love

Jessie hoped the home she’s lived most of her life would be a place her family could enjoy and pass down to future generations. That’s why she worked alongside Habitat for Humanity of York County, with support from Wells Fargo Builds, to help her make her home a safe place to live.

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Dina smiling and embracing her two daughters.

A home where hope blossoms

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