TAMPA, Fla. — People all over the world are remembering the life and legacy of former US President Jimmy Carter, even beyond his years in the White House.
Carter left a lasting impact through his years of work with Habitat for Humanity.
“He's our most famous volunteer by far,” said Mike Sutton, the President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside.
The organization said the former President and his wife started volunteering with them near their home in southwest Georgia more than four decades ago.
“He really enjoyed the opportunity to get out on site, swing a hammer, work alongside the future homeowner, work alongside volunteers,” said Sutton.
ABC Action News sat down with Sutton as well as Habitat Hillsborough CEO Tina Forcier, both of who met the former President.
"My first impression of him when he pulled up to his boyhood farm and jumped out of the truck with the Secret Service, it was almost like a grandfather figure,” said Sutton. “He jumped out of the truck and immediately was greeting people, shaking hands, making eye contact, remembering your name. It didn't come off to me as someone who was the leader of the free world. It was just so impressive."
"We were lucky enough to see him as he taught a Sunday school class, and we got pictures with him and Rosalynn, and it was one of those days I'll never forget,” said Forcier.
Forcier said Carter brought attention to the need for affordable housing.
"Over the time that he was volunteering, he partnered with over 108,000 volunteers, built or renovated over 4,000 homes, so he has an incredible impact on Habitat for Humanity, and we are just so grateful for everything that he did,” said Forcier.
Those involved with the organization recognized Carter left a lasting legacy for generations in every home built, the lives touched, and volunteers inspired.
"I don't know that his shoes will ever be filled,” said Sutton. “I think Habitat is an organization that will continue on in his memory. We have this responsibility now to ensure that we continue to serve families and provide opportunities for homeownership because of the path he's left."
A pile of rubble is what’s left of what had been the happy home that Victoria Sowell shared with her military veteran husband Casey and their son and daughter.
