President and Mrs. Carter join thousands of Habitat for Humanity volunteers across the U.S. for the 30th annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project

ATLANTA, Oct. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Habitat for Humanity kicked off its 30th annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. Throughout the week, President and Mrs. Carter will join an estimated 3,000 volunteers to build, renovate or repair more than 80 homes in Oakland and San Jose, Calif.; Denver; New York City; and Union Beach, N.J.

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For 30 years, the Carters have partnered with Habitat for Humanity and given a week of their time annually to help build homes and raise awareness of the importance of decent housing in breaking the cycle of poverty.

"This is a milestone event in Habitat's long partnership with President and Mrs. Carter. They have been powerful voices in raising awareness about adequate shelter and encouraging people around the world to take action in support of affordable housing," said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. "We're incredibly thankful for the support of President and Mrs. Carter, our partners and the thousands of volunteers who have joined us for this historic occasion."

During the event, President and Mrs. Carter will be joined by country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, both regular volunteers with Habitat who have participated in five previous Carter Work Projects, as well as numerous other building events.

Work by volunteers and the Carters during the weeklong event will include:

• Twelve new town homes and eight critical home repairs in the Brookfield Village neighborhood in Oakland.
• Renovations to two homes and eight critical home repairs in San Jose neighborhoods hit hardest by the recent housing crisis.
• Eleven new town homes in the community and 15 critical home repairs in Denver's centrally located and highly diverse Globeville neighborhood.
• In New York City, host of the very first Carter Work Project in 1984, repairs to ten homes damaged by Superstorm Sandy in Staten Island, as well as renovations to five homes in Queens.
• Repairs to thirteen Union Beach homes damaged by the Superstorm Sandy, as well as two new homes built to replace homes destroyed by the storm.

The first Carter Work Project took place in New York City, where the Carters and volunteers helped the then little-known organization renovate a six-story apartment building. Since then, Carter Work Projects have been held across the United States and in Mexico, Canada, Hungary, South Africa, South Korea, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Laos, Vietnam and the past two years in Haiti.

The kick-off of this year's Carter Work Project also coincides with Habitat's observance of World Habitat Day. Held on the first Monday of every October, the U.N.-designated World Habitat Day calls attention to the need for adequate housing for everyone by raising awareness and mobilizing people to take action in response to the need for better shelter around the world. In addition, Habitat has released its 2014 Shelter Report, which focuses on how housing microfinance can support the incremental building practices of the developing world and drastically improve living conditions. To read Habitat's 2014 Shelter Report, visit: http://bit.ly/1bGhetR.

Habitat for Humanity would like to thank the volunteers, partner families and the following national sponsors for this year's Carter Work Project: The Dow Chemical Company, Bank of America, EXIT Realty, Lowe's, Nissan, Procter & Gamble and Valspar.

For more information on the Carters' 30-year history with Habitat for Humanity, please visit http://www.habitat.org/how/carter.aspx.

About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International's vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Anchored by the conviction that safe and affordable housing provides a critical foundation for breaking the cycle of poverty, Habitat has helped more than 3 million people construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes since 1976. Habitat also advocates for fair and just housing policies and provides training and access to resources to help more families improve their shelter conditions. As a nonprofit Christian housing organization, Habitat works in more than 70 countries and welcomes people of all races, religions and nationalities to partner in its mission. To get more information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit habitat.org.

SOURCE Habitat for Humanity

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