More than 60 people gathered to pay tribute to the late President Jimmy Carter at a recent event hosted by Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County.
“What’s important now more than ever is unity — community — and a commitment to service,” said Jessica Wishan de L’Arbre, Habitat Santa Barbara CEO. “All of these values are what the life of President Jimmy Carter embodied.”
The Jan. 22 event at Trinity Episcopal Church in Santa Barbara, included reflections on the life and legacy of President Carter, who passed away in December at age 100.
Wishan de L’Arbre told the gathering that after leaving the White House, President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter sought out meaningful ways to continue their commitment to social justice and basic human rights.
They first volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in Americus, Georgia, in March 1984. Later that year the Carters joined Habitat volunteers in New York City’s Lower East Side, a trip that marked Habitat for Humanity’s first Jimmy Carter Work Project.
“Over the last three decades, the Carter Work Project has touched lives around the world by inspiring more than 108,000 volunteers across the U.S. and in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair 4,447 Habitat homes,” Wishan de L’Arbre said.
The Santa Barbara gathering also featured remarks from Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse; Habitat Santa Barbara Board President Jan Hubbell; and Albemarle Dumlao, a local Habitat home repair program partner.
“I knew of Habitat for Humanity not only because of President Carter’s volunteerism and advocacy. I was astonished by their work in my native country of The Philippines,” said Dumlao, who told the story of his own family’s involvement with the local Habitat Santa Barbara affiliate.
“President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter once said of their decades-long involvement with Habitat for Humanity that having a house is about more than having a safe place to sleep,” Dumlao said. “It’s about community, a sense of belonging and the dignity that comes with building and maintaining a home of one’s own.”
Guests at the Jan. 22 event were invited to share a commitment to an act of service in President Carter’s honor, then hang their pledge cards from twine strung up along the perimeter of the space.
“One of the ways we can honor President Jimmy Carter is by carrying on his example of service to others,” Wishan de L’Arbre said.
For more information, visit www.sbhabitat.org, or contact Susan Renehan at 805-456-9548 or susan@sbhabitat.org.