A local celebration of life for former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex is honouring the contributions that the former president made to the organization over nearly four decades.
On Friday, Habitat will raise a wall with a door in it to symbolize the many doors of opportunity that President Carter helped make possible through his life of service to others.
The public is invited to pay personal tribute to Carter by signing the wall and door with their name or with a personal message.
The local community saw support from the former president by hosting the first-ever international Carter Work Project in Windsor/Detroit in 2005.
Fiona Coughlin, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex, says he helped build a number of homes at Bruce Avenue and Janette Avenue that people still live in today.
"There's families that have grown up in a number of homes that he was hands-on, on-site, and helping to build. So, absolutely really important work that he did. Children have grown up in those homes, we're hearing that some are getting Masters Degrees, and PhD's, so the legacy is absolutely phenomenal."
She says anyone can take part in Friday's tribute.
"We're going to raise a wall in the Habitat ReStore, a symbolic wall, where people can come and pay tribute to Jimmy Carter, sign the wall, and we'll leave that up until after the state funeral. People can leave their memories and thoughts, and then those components will be used in future Habitat homes."
Coughlin says those living in the homes Carter helped build still remember his legacy.
"It really spoke to the life-changing impact of home ownership, and the work that Jimmy Carter did. They also shared how it felt to build alongside President Carter, and he was just one of them. He treated them like equals, and I think that's so important when we work together to build homes that we're working together to make a difference."
The event will take place on Friday at 10 a.m. at the Habitat ReStore, located at 51 Edinborough Street.
Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of the United States of America. He died on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100.
Carter will be honoured at a state funeral in Washington national cathedral on January 9. The date has also been declared a national day of mourning in the United States.
Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex is a non-profit community service organization that builds affordable housing and promotes home ownership as a means to breaking the cycle of poverty.