Wednesday night's celebration of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project--Raise the Roof!--was attended by nearly 4000 people. They were there to celebrate the building of 11 new homes and 15 rehabs in the Globeville neighborhood of Denver, and, more broadly, to celebrate the entire 30 years of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.
The evening featured video stories of partner families, and scenes from the first three days of the build. Metro Denver executive director, Heather Lafferty, welcomed the crowd, thanked them for their hard work and their financial contributions, lauded the work of volunteers and introduced President Jimmy Carter.
President Carter recalled the many sites of the Carter Project over the years. The very first project was in Brooklyn, New York in September of 1984. This year's Project will conclude in New York City today and tomorrow. In more recent years, the Carter Work Project has tried to alternate between a domestic site and an international one. International sites have included Mexico (three times), the Philippines, Hungary, South Africa, Haiti (twice), and Korea.
Carter said that, when he left the presidency, he and Rosalynn had a long discussion about where they wanted to place their energies and influence. They chose Habitat for Humanity. (Millard Fuller once told me that, in his first meeting with the Carters, he asked, "Are you interested in Habitat for Humanity, or are you really interested in Habitat for Humanity?" The Carters looked at each other and said, "We're really interested.")
President Carter concluded, "If you want your life to have meaning, if you want your life to have purpose and stand for something, if you want your life to make a difference, you'll get involved with Habitat for Humanity."
One portion of the evening was typical for a Habitat event: a partner family in the spotlight. After Pres. Carter's speech, he and Rosalynn presented the key to a new Habitat home to Angel Meza and her family.
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood were present, made brief remarks to the crowd, and said they were encouraged into singing a song or two by President Carter. Said Brooks, "When President Carter asks me to do something, I say, 'Yes, sir.'" They sang two songs, to the great delight of the audience. Isaac Slade, of the popular local band, The Fray, capped off the evening.
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