Habitat for Humanity Portland Region mourns death of Jimmy Carter

Published 12:21 pm Monday, December 30, 2024

Former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter were a driving force behind Habitat for Humanity after Carter's presidency.

Habitat for Humanity Portland Region says former President Jimmy Carter should be remembered, not just as the leader of the nation, but as a builder of homes.

Carter died Dec. 29 at the age of 100.

Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, served as volunteers for Habitat for Humanity for more than four decades, helping to build affordable housing. The famous couple didn’t just sit on a board of directors; they volunteered with hammers and saws in hand, doing the heavy lifting.

“On behalf of Habitat for Humanity Portland Region, I would like to express our deepest sympathies and condolences on the loss of President Carter,” said Steve Messinetti, president and CEO of Habitat Portland Region. “For President Carter, Habitat for Humanity wasn’t just about homes being built, but how people from all walks of life came together around a common cause to build them. It was peace-building work — building relationships, starting from that shared experience and purpose. Many of us have swung hammers alongside President Carter. His legacy, unwavering work ethic and values will live on inside the Habitat homes and lives he impacted around the world.”

Habitat for Humanity Portland Region was founded in 1981. Since then, it has built and repaired homes in partnership with more than 3,000 people across the Portland region.

Messinetti crossed paths with Carter during his time with Habitat in Americus, Georgia, between 1994 and 2004. He said the former president’s legacy will continue to shape the future for the local affiliate.

The Carters first volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in Americus in March 1984. Carter formerly served as governor of Georgia and lived there most of his life.

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 trip marked Habitat for Humanity’s first Jimmy Carter Work Project, later renamed the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. Every year since then, the Carters volunteered with Habitat to build or improve houses alongside homeowners in communities across the United States and around the world, according to the release.

President Carter also served as a member of the organization’s board of directors from 1984-87.

Messinetti spent 10 years working at the Habitat headquarters in Americus. “Seeing and hearing from President Carter in this small town nearby, where he lived most of his life, was pretty common,” Messinetti said. “I believe President Carter’s legacy and principles will continue to be the True North for Habitat, causing us to continuously challenge ourselves to do more and be better for our community until everyone has an affordable place to live.”

He called the former president “Habitat for Humanity’s most famous volunteer and the person who had the most influence in the organization’s exponential growth as a leader in housing development and policy change throughout the world.”

My fishing trip with Jimmy Carter. See Page A6.