Carter Work Project returning to Atlanta Habitat for 2026
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn attach siding to the front of a Habitat for Humanity home being built June 10, 2003, in LaGrange, Georgia. (Photo by Erik S. Lesser/Getty Images)
ATLANTA - For the first time in decades, the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project is returning to Atlanta Habitat for Humanity.
Leaders say 24 single-family homes will be built from May 3 to May 8 next year as part of the project.
MORE: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's gravesite now open to public
What we know:
During the five-days of construction, the nonprofit will unveil its next planned community, named Langston Park, in the Sylvan Hills neighborhood of Atlanta.
Organizers say the development will include modern, sustainable townhome-style living with access to MARTA, the Atlanta Beltline, and nearby green spaces.
The project will coincide with Habitat for Humanity International's 50th anniversary as well as the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
The last time the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project was in Atlanta was in 1988.
Dig deeper:
The Carters nurtured a 40-year relationship with Habitat for Humanity after leaving the White House.
"It was a tiny organization in 1984 when President and Mrs. Carter went up with a busload of volunteers from southwest Georgia to help rehab a tenement building on the Lower East Side of Manhattan," said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, in an interview in 2023.
SEE MORE: Habitat for Humanity CEO reflects on Carter's impact, work ethic
Carter repeatedly said that working with the organization was a way he put his Christian faith into action, Reckford recalled. He said Carter was a skilled carpenter, who was also famous for his work ethic on site.
They would joke that, "it’s not a competition as long as his house gets finished first," Reckford said of the former president. "And you did not want to get that submarine commander glare if he thought you weren’t working hard enough."
More than 4,000 homes in 14 countries have been built through the Carter Work Project, according to Habitat.
What you can do:
If you are interested in participating in the Carter Work Project, you can sign up to receive updates here.
The Source: Information for this article came from a release by Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and the Associated Press.