home

Sam Myers has been active with Habitat For Humanity in both Pamlico County and Washington, DC.

---

I

never met President Carter but I have a significant remembrance of him. As with most of my prose, it’s a little indirect so bear with me on this.

Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity International, was often called on to speak with and advise congressional committees concerned with housing issues. While in town Millard would also meet with one or more of the Capitol area HFH affiliates.

Sam Myers

I was the only DC Habitat for Humanity board member who was retired so I was usually tasked with picking Millard up at DC National and chauffeuring him to his varied appointments. We struck up a pretty good relationship, to the point that he always remembered my bride Boone’s name & asked what was happening in her medical world.

In the mid ‘90s some bi-partisan congressional aids got together to sponsor a DC Habitat house. President Carter and Millard were invited to dedicate the house but Carter was busy otherwise and asked Millard to represent him at the event.

After picking Millard up at National, just to make conversation, I asked Millard what he was going to say at the dedication. He was quiet for almost a minute and then told me how he first met President Carter.

In 1981 or ’82, Carter was out of office and back home in Plains GA, a few miles from Habitat For Humanity’s headquarters. HFH was started in 1976 but was having trouble getting visibility and credibility in the country’s charitable donor community. Carter and Millard both being fervent, out front Southern Baptists, Millard decided to call on Carter to ask if he could help with the Habitat mission.

Millard got an appointment to meet with Carter and proceeded to draw up a list of ten different things the former President might do to assist Habitat’s mission, especially with visibility and fund-raising.

After some get-acquainted repartee, Carter asked what he could do for Millard. Millard offered one page with very brief details of the ten different opportunities, asking the President if he would consider doing one. The ten possibilities varied from simply taping a few fund-raising PSAs to committing to lead an annual Jimmy Carter Habitat Workweek.

Millard said Carter took an uncomfortable several minutes to read and reread the list but he finally said “Okay”. Millard told me he said “That’s wonderful Mr President, thank you. Which one do you want to do?”

Carter responded, “All of them.”

Many of us think President Carter started Habitat For Humanity. He did not. Millard Fuller and wife Linda did. Carter just fed, cultivated and grew the idea such that is now firmly imbedded in America’s and the world’s consciousness.

Recent reports indicate that Habitat and its partner families have built over 600,000 safe, decent, affordable homes and Habitat has helped over 13.4 million people live in such housing.

Well done Mr President. Rest in peace.

email this page | back to top