BOSTON (WHDH) - President Jimmy Carter believed that everyone had the right to have a roof over their heads.
In the months following his presidency, he and his wife Rosalynn would dig into the humanitarian movement one site at a time, setting the stage to help millions of people around the world with Habitat for Humanity, with the impact felt in the Boston area and around the country.
“Rosalynn and I enjoy doing this,” the former president said during a Habitat build. “It’s kind of a vacation for us every year. Hardworking, unpredictable, adventurous, challenging, but always gratifying.”
Over the Carter’s 35 years with the group, Habitat for Humanity spread to 14 countries.
“President Carter will be remembered as a towering figure and a leader in the movement to recognize housing as a basic human right,” said James Kostaras, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Boston. “He a was a man of great faith, he put his Christian faith into action, helping people in need, particularly people in need of a safe, decent place to live.”
Carter was always happy to be in person on construction sites, even well into his 90s.
“I mean, what do you say about a guy, 94 years old, on the roof of a house with an electric drill?” Kostaras said. “It’s awe-inspiring.”
Until the end, the former president took the most humble ownership for his role in these humanitarian efforts:
“As I’ve said for 30 years, we’ve never been on a Habitat project that we didn’t get more out of it than we put into it,” Carter said.
Habitat for Humanity said the Carters worked alongside more than 100,000 volunteers to help build or renovate nearly 4,500 homes worldwide.
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