Georgia Magazine - January 2025 - 19

Former President Jimmy Carter greets a Nepalese boy in
Kathmandu in November 2013. Observers sent by the
Carter Center monitored the country's constituent
assembly election.
Learn more
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum,
441 John Lewis Freedom Parkway N.E., Atlanta;
(404) 865-7100; jimmycarterlibrary.gov
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum,
administered by the National Archives and Records
Administration, off ers a glimpse into the life and legacy
of the 39th president, featuring a replica of the Oval
Offi ce, complete with period furnishings and artifacts
from Carter's time in offi ce.
Visitors can explore exhibits that highlight Carter's
commitment to peace, humanitarian eff orts and
environmental conservation along with personal items
and memorabilia that tell the story of his journey from
Plains to the White House.
The library houses a wealth of documents,
photographs and audiovisual materials, providing an
in-depth look at one of Georgia's-and America's-most
infl uential leaders.
part in the first Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.
" A busload of folks from Georgia traveled with the Carters
to New York for that build, " says Jonathan Reckford, CEO of
Habitat for Humanity International, with offices in Atlanta and
Americus. " The press was there and witnessed them working
onsite, and that raised awareness and marked the beginning
of a long partnership. "
Since that week, the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work
Project has deployed 108,100 volunteers to 14 countries to build
4,447 affordable homes for partner families.
As Habitat affiliates emerged throughout Georgia and
beyond and home-building projects spanned the globe, the
growing organization considered moving the headquarters from
Georgia. Carter was instrumental in keeping Habitat in the state.
" Through their engagement and leadership, the Carters
have helped make it possible for so many families in Georgia
and around the world to have affordable housing, " Reckford
says. " Helping Habitat was a way he could put his faith into
action. In fact, he's said that he gained more from the experience
of volunteering than the homeowners did. "
Creating the Carter Center
In 1982, President and Rosalynn Carter founded the Carter
Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Atlanta.
" He imagined a place here in Georgia, like Camp David
[in Maryland], where people could come together-work
together-to address needs existing in the world, " says Paige
Alexander, CEO of the Carter Center.
The center's achievements are vast, including protecting
and advancing human rights; establishing and strengthening
democracies; and furthering avenues to peace. Carter was
awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in these areas.
On the health front, the center led a coalition that has
reduced Guinea worm disease by 99.99 percent, making it likely
to be the first human disease since smallpox to be eradicated.
The center's work to distribute Mectizan-a drug that treats
river blindness, which is caused by bites from parasite-infected
black flies-helped to eliminate the disease in Colombia,
Ecuador, Mexico and Guatemala. And four states in Nigeria-
with a total of about 18.9 million people-have improved
enough to stop distributing the drug.
" Big things are possible when we work together, "
Alexander says.
According to Alexander, the Carters worked at the center a
week out of every month-talking to the staff, holding hands as
they walked down the hall, turning off lights in empty rooms and
adjusting thermostats-until just before the pandemic.
" People of Georgia admire his strong moral compass and
leadership, " she says. " He's a homegrown son who has gone to
the ends of the road on every continent to create better, more
fulfilling lives for people-many who've been overlooked.
" His legacy in Georgia? His legacy is that he is one of us! "
Amber Lanier Nagle is a freelance writer based in
Adairsville.
www.georgiamagazine.org 19
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Georgia Magazine - January 2025

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