ATLANTA — Building a life is like building a home. It takes a solid foundation and work to succeed. Habitat For Humanity CEO Jonathan Reckford often saw former President and First Lady Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in action. Since the former first lady's passing Sunday, Reckford reflected on her life and legacy.
"Habitat for Humanity was the best way they knew to put their faith into action in a very practical way," Reckford said. "No one had ever seen a president and first lady behave that way. That example of servant leadership, I think, was so inspirational."
Reckford first met the Carters in 2005, when he was applying to become CEO of Habitat for Humanity. He noted their long-term, sustained service and the former first lady's dedication to human rights, mental health and affordable housing.
When it came to building safe and affordable homes in Atlanta, across the state of Georgia, around the country or around the world, the Carters played a hand in helping others. Since 1984, the couple set aside one week each year, for 36 years to build safe and affordable housing in a different city. They called it the Carter Work Project, a staple of Habitat for Humanity. This past year, the event was held in Charlotte.
"I'm so pleased to be with other people who just want to do something to help someone else," Rosalynn previously said at what would be her last build in Nashville in 2019. "Working with those who need help is very similar to what I do with people living with mental illnesses. There is a similarity because both groups need help from others to have a good life. It’s been my great pleasure to be involved with those living with mental illnesses.”
From sawing wood to painting frames, the Carters' service through Habitat for Humanity inspired more than 100,000 volunteers to build, renovate and repair nearly 4,500 homes. At the build in Nashville four years ago, country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood stood alongside the Carters as they built homes for those in need.
"The appropriate title is president and first lady, but after standing side-by-side and building with them, there's an even greater title," Brooks previously said at the build. "That's just lead by example, the kind of people you want to be."
Yearwood added as a Georgia native, she's been in love with the Carters for a long time.
"But just fell in love with their work ethic and the kind of people they are. For us, they're an example of a kind of human being to be, the kind of husband and wife to be, the kind of Christian to be," she previously said.
Reckford said it's the Carters' faith and integrity that has stood out to him during the years he knew them. And it's those foundational takeaways, he said, that helped build thousands of homes, a unique life dedicated to helping others and a legacy that can't be erased.
"I've seen them with some of the most powerful people in the world and some of the least powerful people in the world," Reckford said. "They're always the same. To me, that's such a mark of integrity. We can all learn from Mrs. Carter a better definition of the good life. We're bombarded with false messages about what the good life is, and I think Mrs. Carter lived so simply but with such strength and passion for making lives better for others."