>>> FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER IS BUILDING HOMES WITH
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY IN
NASHVILLE TODAY AFTER FALLING AT
HIS HOME OVER THE WEEKEND ENDING
UP WITH 14 STITCHES IN HIS
FOREHEAD AND A BLACK EYE.
NOTHING KEEPS JIMMY CARTER DOWN.
PRESIDENT CARTER TURNED 95 LAST
WEEK, BECOMING THE FIRST U.S.
PRESIDENT TO REACH THAT
MILESTONE.
MILESTONE. A BIT EARLIER I SPOKE WITH HIM
AND THE CEO FOR HABITAT FOR
HUMANITY.
HUMANITY. PRESIDENT CARTER, IT IS
WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU.
>> A PLEASURE, THANK YOU.
>> HOW DID YOU HAVE THE
RESILIENCE AND STRENGTH, AND
WHY, TO BE SHOWING UP FOR
HABITAT AFTER FALLING AND
INJURING YOURSELF?
INJURING YOURSELF? YOU GOT 14 STITCHES.
>> WELL, I ALWAYS PUT HABITAT
FIRST WHEN I POSSIBLY CAN.
WE HAVEN’T MISSED A HABIT
WEEKEND IN 36 YEARS SO I DIDN’T
WANT TO MISS THIS ONE.
THIS HAS BEEN SPECIAL FOR US.
>> TELL ME WHAT IS SO SPECIAL
FOR YOU ABOUT HABITAT.
YOUR COMMITMENT IS LEGENDARY.
WHY DOES IT MATTER SO MUCH TO
YOU?
YOU? >> I THINK THIS IS THE BEST WAY
I CAN PUT MY CHRISTIAN FAITH
INTO ACTUAL PRACTICE.
JESUS CHRIST WAS A CARPENTER, AS
A MATTER OF FACT.
I’M SURE HE SWUNG A HAMMER A
LOT.
LOT. SO WHEN WE HAVE A
FAITH, WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT
SOME WAY, WEALTHY PEOPLE AND
FOLKS THAT HAVE EVERYTHING LIKE
I DO, TO REACH OUT TO OUR
BROTHERS AND THIS IS AN EASY WAY
TO DO IT.
TO DO IT. IT’S A DIFFICULT CHASM TO CROSS
BETWEEN THE RICH WORLD AND THE
POOR WORLD.
POOR WORLD. AND HABITAT MAKES IT EASIER FOR
US.
US. >> JONATHAN, YOU AS THE CEO OF
HABITAT HAVE WATCHED THE
PRESIDENT THERE TODAY AND THIS
WEEK IN NATIONALSHVILLE.
YOU’RE BUILDING 21 HOMES.
WHY IS SWIMMY YJIMMY CARTER’S PR
IMPORTANT TO YOU?
>> THE PRESIDENT AND MRS. CARTER
HAVE PUT HABITAT ON THE MAP AND
HAVE BEEN SUCH AN INSPIRATION
FOR ME AND SO MANY OTHERS.
THIS IS THE 14th YEAR I’VE HAD
THE PRIVILEGE OF BUILDING
ALONGSIDE THE PRESIDENT AND MRS.
CARTER.
CARTER. IT’S THEIR EXAMPLE OF FAITH AND
SERVICE IN ACTION, IT GOES FAR
BEYOND THE 21 FAMILIES WHO ARE
GOING TO BUY THE HOMES WE’RE
BUILDING THIS WEEK.
IT REALLY IS BRINGING A
SPOTLIGHT ON THE NEED FOR SAFE,
DECENT, AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THEY’VE CHANGED FOREVER THE WAY
PEOPLE THOUGHT ABOUT
POST-PRESIDENCY.
POST-PRESIDENCY. NOW 22 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE NEW
OR IMPROVED HOMES AND YOU CAN
SEE THE RIPPLES FROM THE
COUNTRIES AND CITIES WHERE
THEY’VE VOLUNTEERED.
THEY’VE VOLUNTEERED. >> YOUR VOLUNTEERISM, ESPECIALLY
FOR HABITAT, NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF
ALL THE OTHER THINGS YOU’VE
DONE, RIVER BLINDNESS IN AFRICA,
SO MANY PROJECTS, JIMMY CARTER,
YOU AND ROSSLYN CARTER AND THE
CARTER CENTER, TALK TO ME ABOUT
YOUR POST-PRESIDENCY AND WHAT
YOU THINK THE SERVICE RECORD OF
FORMER PRESIDENTS SHOULD BE.
>> WELL, I WOULD SAY THAT OUR
YEARS SINCE THE WHITE HOUSE HAVE
BEEN MORE GRATIFYING AND MORE
FULFILLING, AND I WOULD SAY IN
MANY WAYS MORE CHALLENGING EVEN
THAN BEING IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
AND WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO REACH OUT
TO PEOPLE THAT WERE REALLY IN
NEED, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT A
PRESIDENT DOESN’T HAVE A CHANCE
TO DO PERSONALLY.
SO WE’VE DEALT WITH MILLIONS OF
PEOPLE, PARTICULARLY IN AFRICA,
LATIN AMERICA, AND ASIA AS WELL.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO
NOW, WE’VE TRAINED 36,000 NURSES
IN ETHIOPA, AND WE CAN GO INTO
EATING
EATING ETHIOPA AND HELP CURE AN EYE
DISEASE, GLAUCOMA, AND WE CAN
TREAT 10 MILLION PEOPLE.
THAT’S AS MANY PEOPLE AS LIVE IN
GEORGIA.
GEORGIA. SO IT’S A GRATIFYING THING FOR
US TO DO.
US TO DO. >> MR. PRESIDENT, I’VE KNOWN YOU
A LONG TIME, WE’VE KNOWN EACH
OTHER, I’VE SEEN YOU ALL OVER
THE WORLD.
THE WORLD. YOU’RE WORKING WITH A BLACK EYE,
YOU’VE HAD 14 STITCHES, YOU’VE
HAD BRAIN CANCER, A BROKEN HIP,
I’M TOLD OTHER ISSUES OVER THE
YEARS.
YEARS. HOW DO YOU DO IT?
YOU TURNED 95 A COUPLE OF WEEKS
AGO.
AGO. WHAT IS YOUR SECRET?
>> WELL, THE SECRET IS THE
INSPIRATION I GET FROM HABITAT.
I’M NOT EXAGGERATING ON THAT.
WE’VE BEEN DOING IT FOR A LONG
TIME.
TIME. WE’VE HAD UPS AND DOWNS ON
OCCASION, BUT WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN
ABLE TO PUT HABITAT FIRST, AT
LEAST FOR A WEEK OR SO AT A
TIME.
TIME. AND SO NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF
CHALLENGES WE FACE, WE GO
SOMETIMES OVERSEAS, SOMETIMES TO
VERY DIFFICULT PLACES IN THE
UNITED STATES, AND THE
VOLUNTEERS THAT GO WITH US,
PARTICULARLY HERE IN NASHVILLE,
HAS BEEN VERY GRATIFYING TO US
BECAUSE WE HAVE ABOUT 5,000
VOLUNTEERS HERE TODAY WORKING
WITH US ON THESE HABITAT HOUSES.
WE’RE NOT ONLY BUILDING 21
HOUSES THIS YEAR BUT WE ALSO
HAVE RAISED ENOUGH MONEY TO
FINISH 59 HOUSES THIS NEXT YEAR.
SO, YOU KNOW, MY NAME IS
ROSALYN’S NAME MAKES IT POSSIBLE
FOR PEOPLE TO GIVE A LOT OF
MONEY TO OUR CAUSE IN WHICH WE
BELIEVE AND ENCOURAGES THEM TO
BELIEVE IN TOO.
SO WE’RE ABLE TO HELP HABITAT A
LOT MORE THAN JUST AN AVERAGE
WORKER JUST BECAUSE WE’VE BEEN
IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND SURVIVED
THE WHITE HOUSE YEARS.
IT’S BEEN A VERY HAPPY THING FOR
US.
US. WHAT I SAID YESTERDAY IN THE