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Former president Jimmy Carter made a trip to North Texas to build homes with Habitat for Humanity in 2014.
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At the age of 90, Carter helped build 30 homes in east Oak Cliff.
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The Carters also helped build 20 homes in east Fort Worth.
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Former president Jimmy Carter made a trip to North Texas to build homes with Habitat for Humanity in 2014.
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At the age of 90, Carter helped build 30 homes in east Oak Cliff.
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The Carters also helped build 20 homes in east Fort Worth.
DALLAS—Through his personal hands-on work with Habitat for Humanity, President Jimmy Carter established a lasting legacy in North Texas.
In 2014, Carter traveled to Dallas to construct homes in Oak Cliff.
Long after the cameras were removed, the Habitat for Humanity houses were still being built.
Jimmy Carter, the former president, passed away on Sunday at the age of 100. Carter’s lifetime of service included more than simply his impact in the White House.
Clarice Tinsley of FOX 4 spoke with the former president about why he continued to put in so much effort.
“The most emotional aspect of Habitat is when we finish a house and we give the keys and a Bible that Rosalynn and I have signed to the homeowners and let them know for the first time in their lives they will own a house,” Carter stated.
Carter had just celebrated his 90th birthday at the time of the trip, but he nevertheless put in some hard work.
“I notice that I’ve lost about 10% of my vigor since I was 85, you know, working all day, but still, I get along well, put in a full day’s work along with everybody else and enjoy it very much,” Carter stated at the time.
READ MORE: Great sayings from Jimmy Carter’s day
Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity CEO Ashley Brundage said the organization had a private trailer ready for the former president.
“President Carter did not use the trailer at any point during the whole build. Like all the other homeowners and volunteers, he utilized the port-o-potties. And never slept at all. She recalled that during the Carter build, he was out working and conversing.
FOX 4 has a special connection to this material.
The former president grew up next door to photojournalist John Gnann. In the early years of the organization, the Carters were first introduced to the Habitat concept by Gnann’s parents.
John Gnann, a photojournalist for FOX 4, grew up in Plains, Georgia, next door to Jimmy Carter. He took a seat and began telling tales about his neighbor, “Mr. Jimmy.”
According to Gnann, Mr. Carter’s engagement went beyond the usual philanthropy of former presidents.
“That is the distinction. That’s what people relate to. Some things may be accomplished by sending money, but what really motivated people to get engaged with Habitat was going over there and doing the actual work,” Gnann said.
Additionally, Mr. Carter made it a point to meet with each of the 30 Dallas families who were purchasing homes via Habitat, and they prayed together every morning.
According to Brundage, Carter’s legacy lives on as a new house is being constructed close to the east Oak Cliff community where he worked.
“The thirty houses he constructed here in Dallas are having an effect on the generations of families who call this place home. “That’s only in Dallas,” Brundage remarked.
Alongside the president and previous First Lady, Trinity Habitat COO Christine Panagopoulos assisted in the construction of 20 homes in east Fort Worth.
“Mrs. Carter, the first morning I drove her around the site, and she said it reminded her so much of Plains, because it was a small tight knit community of a few houses,” Panagopoulos said.
READ MORE: Announcement of Jimmy Carter’s funeral arrangements
The goal was to assist families in becoming homeowners—something that is more important now than ever.
“Homeownership and that house is the launching pad for the rest of the generations to come for that family,” Panagopoulos stated.
In 14 nations, the Carters repaired and renovated over 4,300 homes.
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This article’s information is based on interviews with Habitat for Humanity and former President Jimmy Carter, who was interviewed by FOX 4 in 2014.
This article’s information is based on interviews with Habitat for Humanity and former President Jimmy Carter, who was interviewed by FOX 4 in 2014.
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