Remembering President Carter

A reflection from Mark Andrews

Published Tuesday, January 28, 2025

This month we joined the world in remembering and celebrating President Jimmy Carter, who passed away on December 29. People from across the globe are reflecting on their interactions and moments of inspiration from our former president.

As we celebrate the life and legacy of President Carter, Maumee Valley Habitat board member Mark Andrews reflects on his personal experience with one of Habitat’s biggest advocates.

President Carter working alongside families during the 2011 Carter Project in Haiti 

I began my Habitat career in 1994 when my family and I were assigned to start Habitat’s work in Sri Lanka. Over a 30-year career with Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) I had the privilege to live and work in several countries around the world and in many different roles both in the US and internationally. I retired from HFHI in 2023 as the Senior Vice President of International Operations overseeing Habitat’s work in 70 countries. 

I was blessed with the opportunity to work with President Carter on several occasions. Most of my interaction with the former president was focused on the annual Jimmy Carter work projects in US cities and our program countries around the world.

In 2011 my team and I hosted the Carter project in Haiti. I had been assigned to lead Habitat’s reconstruction work after the devastating earthquake that struck the country in 2010. I was asked to brief Mr. Carter on the project as he flew from one Habitat job site to another during the 2010 Carter work project. I was told I had 30 minutes to brief him as we flew from Minnesota to Alabama. 

After takeoff I began my 30-minute presentation. As I wrapped up, I was certain that I had failed to convince the president of the value of doing the project in Haiti. For the next 90 minutes he peppered me with questions ranging from land rights to construction materials to the status of the families we would be serving. I was amazed at the detailed questions he was asking and his concern for the families we would be working with. As we neared the end of the flight Mr. Carter flashed his famous smile (which had been absent for the entire flight) and said emphatically, “let’s do it, and let’s think about doing the project there for 2 years”.

President Carter, while not founding Habitat, was the catalyst for our ministry’s early success. His presence and his commitment to the work mobilized an entire generation of volunteers and donors.

His legacy reflects this commitment. The amazing humility he and Mrs. Carter showed the world as they traveled from city to city and country to country to carry out Habitat’s mission of building a world where everyone has a decent place to live will be something that many of us will always remember. His commitment to the cause of providing simple, decent, and affordable housing changed the way the world thinks about housing and serving the poor.

I will never forget the way he interacted with the families we worked with in Haiti. He genuinely cared about each of the families and conducted house dedications for all of them in the blazing Haitian heat at the end of the projects there.

I had the opportunity to attend President Carter’s Sunday school lessons in his home church in Plains, Georgia several times. I was always impressed by his ability to make the scriptures real and applicable to the current day. Here was one of the most powerful people on earth taking to a small group of church goers in such a humble and down to earth way.

 President and Mrs. Carter lived out their Christian values in a way few others have. Their humility, focus, and commitment to humanity was truly exceptional. I hope people will see, in the work that the Carter’s did, an example of who and what we can be. 

 
Mark Andrews

To learn more about President and Mrs. Carter's impact on Habitat for Humanity visit: habitat.org/carter-work-project/habitat-humanitarians-carters

To learn more about The Carter Project visit: habitat.org/carter-work-project/through-the-years