For more than three decades Rosalynn Carter and her husband former U.S. President Jimmy Carter donated their time and voices to help Habitat build alongside families across the globe. Together, the Carters traveled 167,279 miles worldwide, building with future homeowners and fellow Carter Work Project volunteers and raising awareness for Habitat’s mission.
Since 1984, the Carter Work Project has touched lives around the world by:
- Helping build, repair and rehabilitate 4,417 houses.
- Working alongside 106,100 volunteers.
- Building in 14 countries.
This collection of memories captures Mrs. Carter’s hands-on commitment to Habitat’s mission and reflects her extraordinary legacy.
After leaving the White House, the Carters planned for meaningful ways to continue their commitment to social justice and basic human rights. Their first volunteer experience with Habitat for Humanity was in March 1984 near their home in Americus, Georgia, where Habitat for Humanity was founded.
Later that same year, the Carters joined Habitat volunteers in New York City’s Lower East Side to renovate an abandoned building in partnership with families in need of affordable housing. That marked Habitat for Humanity’s first Jimmy Carter Work Project, which was later renamed to the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project.
Since then, President and Mrs. Carter have worked more than 104,000 volunteers across the U.S. and in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair 4,390 Habitat homes. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has served more than 46 million people around the world.
In 2016, Habitat named President and Mrs. Carter as the inaugural Habitat Humanitarians for their extraordinary dedication to service in alignment with Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. We are grateful for the incredible impact she and President Carter have had on Habitat and on the families who have benefited from their shining example.
For photos and videos of President and Mrs. Carter volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, visit
habitat.ngo/CarterPhotoVideo.
