'He was there to work': Iowans remember Jimmy Carter's service with Habitat for Humanity
Iowans involved with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity say former President Jimmy Carter was deeply committed to helping those in need access safe and affordable housing. For more than three decades, Carter donated his time and leadership to the organization.
Iowans involved with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity say former President Jimmy Carter was deeply committed to helping those in need access safe and affordable housing. For more than three decades, Carter donated his time and leadership to the organization.
Iowans involved with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity say former President Jimmy Carter was deeply committed to helping those in need access safe and affordable housing. For more than three decades, Carter donated his time and leadership to the organization.
Iowans involved with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity say former President Jimmy Carter was deeply committed to helping those in need access safe and affordable housing. For more than three decades, Carter donated his time and leadership to the organization.
"I think, from our perspective, he really helped put Habitat for Humanity on the map," Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity CEO Lance Henning said. He said the global nonprofit was virtually unknown until Carter got involved.
"People across the country looked at a former president volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and said, 'Oh, maybe this is something,'" Henning said. "That got others interested, and it's allowed Habitat to really have a huge impact over time because of his involvement in the early days."
For more than 30 years Carter and his wife Rosalyn led groups of volunteers across the globe to take part in the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project — a yearly, weeklong event building homes for families in need.
"We had four different teams from Des Moines go to the Carter Projects and I think you expect, maybe he's just there to be a celebrity. And he's there to work, picking up the hammer and being out there," Henning said.
Henning recalls one trip to South Bend, Indiana, where Carter and his wife, alongside a group of volunteers, built houses under the beating sun.
"Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn were right there working, just across the street from us," Henning said. "You could see him out in the sun, in the heat, and I think that's something that you didn't necessarily expect, how hard he would be working on the site."
Carter and his wife worked alongside more than 108,100 volunteers who built, renovated or repaired 4,447 homes in 14 countries. Henning said he was deeply committed to the organization's central goal.
"Habitat for Humanity is about putting God's love into action and bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope," Henning said.
He said Carter lived that mission, and his faith led him to a life of service.
"He was always about bringing people together no matter what their walk of life was. So, it didn't matter about your income or your background," Henning said. "He was about bringing people together and lifting them up in dignity."
According to Habitat for Humanity, the nonprofit has served more than 62 million people around the world since its founding in 1976.
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