In October 2019, former President Jimmy Carter fell in his home in Plains, Ga., banging his forehead.

The injury resulted in 14 stitches and bruising around Carter’s left eye. Carter, who was 95 at the time, didn’t let the injury stop him from taking part in the annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project with Habitat for Humanity in Nashville, Tenn.

That evening, Carter appeared at a kickoff for the event. “I had a No. 1 priority and that was to come to Nashville and build houses,” Carter told the audience.

Carter’s reaction to the fall reinforced Lance Henning’s opinion of the former president as a very humble man.

“He still went to the event and let people take pictures of him,” said Henning, CEO of the Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity. “That was just [Carter] being genuine. I think there’s probably some celebrities who wouldn’t have shown up.”

Carter, the country’s 39th president, died Dec. 29 at the age of 100. An official state funeral for Carter was held this morning at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Later today, a private funeral service will be held in Plains, Ga., followed by burial at the Carter residence.

Carter was president from 1977 to 1981. In 1984, Jimmy and his wife, Rosalynn, began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity near their home in Plains. Later that year, the Carters traveled to New York City’s Lower East Side to renovate an abandoned building for affordably priced housing, according to Habitat for Humanity’s website. The renovation was the first Carter Work Project.

For 35 years, the Carters volunteered one week a year of their time with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve houses, according to Habitat for Humanity, which began in Georgia in 1976. The nonprofit organization partners with homeowners to build their own homes. Since it started, the Carter Work Project has built 4,447 homes in 14 countries with over 108,000 volunteers.

The Work Project in 2019 was the last one Carter participated in. The project continues annually.
Henning worked on two Carter Work Projects, one in South Bend, Ind., in 2018 and the other in Detroit in 2005.

Henning said he didn’t meet Carter but did observe the former president interacting with homeowners. “He went to every home being built, talked with the homeowner and presented them with a Bible,” Henning said. “Then he’d do photos with every one of them.”

Carter didn’t participate in the homebuilding projects as a way to garner publicity, Henning said. “He was there to volunteer and work. I was across the street from the house he was working on in South Bend. Yes, he and Rosalynn took time to talk to the media, but their main focus was on contributing to the housebuilding aspect. … He put his faith into action.”

Habitat for Humanity probably wouldn’t be as well known as it is now if the Carters hadn’t gotten involved with the organization, Henning said. “Before I was involved with Habitat, I remember my uncle talking about volunteering for [the organization]. He said he had seen President Carter volunteering. Who knows how many other people did that as well. … His impact has been immeasurable.”

Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity is completing the development of Carter Court, a 15-home project near Northeast 46th Street and Hubbell Avenue in Des Moines.

The development’s name is in honor of Carter, Henning said. “President Carter has done a lot for Habitat and, in a lot of ways, helped us to be able to get to the point where we can do a development like that and to create housing for [people] who otherwise wouldn’t be able to have the opportunity to own their own homes. [The development’s name] represents what he contributed to Habitat and honors him.”

Here are some additional news stories reflecting on Carter’s life and legacy:

• ‘Compassion and moral clarity’: Tributes pour in for Jimmy Carter (Wall Street Journal)
• From Plains to Atlanta, a rolling tribute traces Jimmy Carter’s life (New York Times)