LOCAL

Jimmy Carter says Mishawaka site is one of best prepared Habitat builds

Joseph Dits
South Bend Tribune

MISHAWAKA — Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter didn’t spend much time on chit-chat this morning. After the former president led a spiritual devotion before some 600 volunteers — the ones who’d raise walls and roofs on 22 Habitat for Humanity houses here — the couple headed to their work station.

Jimmy Carter, 93, studied plans for a porch railing with local Habitat staffer Lowell Priser, who designed it, and they started to cut the wood under a white tent. Media cameras fired from a designated area.

Country music stars Garth Brooks (with nails in his mouth) and Trisha Yearwood busily worked on a house directly across the street alongside Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood and other community officials.

By 11 a.m., both houses had gone from empty floors to two walls up each, plus roofs that were fully framed with prefabricated pieces.

“I think it’s one of the most organized and best prepared (of the Carter Work Projects), and we’ve had some good ones,” Jimmy Carter said at a morning press conference, when asked how this compares with the 35 years of the annual projects in 14 countries.

Rosalynn Carter noted how a local family observed that a community was forming among the new homeowners, saying, “I don’t think we’ve ever had someone say that before.”

The work blitz will run through Friday, fueled by about 2,000 volunteers in all, though houses should be completed by the end of the year.

Local Habitat CEO Jim Williams announced that, in addition to the nine acres of this work site at Jefferson Boulevard and Byrkit Street, Habitat will buy the adjoining seven acres to build even more houses. Habitat had expected to pay $300,000 for the land but instead will pay just $70,000, thanks to the owner’s generosity, Williams said.

“We want to keep the community engaged,” he said.

Former president Jimmy Carter and Rosalyn Carter work on a home. Hundreds of Habitat for Humanity volunteers began the work blitz for The Carter Work Project on Monday, Aug. 27, 2018, in Mishawaka.
David Letterman volunteered to work at the build site on the eastern side of Mishawaka.
Country music star Garth Brooks works on a project for the Carter Work Project.