The legacy of former president Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday, Dec. 29 at the age of 100, continues to live through the homes built by a charity he long championed.

Many of Carter’s projects after his term in the White House involved homes he helped build with Habitat for Humanity. The organization formed in Georgia in 1976 now has hundreds of chapters in over 70 nations, including several in our area. Saline County Habitat for Humanity President Susan Hunter credits Carter for raising awareness about the organization and the issue of housing affordability.

Hunter says she and her husband Roy learned about the organization from Carter’s efforts, eventually joining the Saline County Chapter’s board in 2019. She notes that meetings had in the past included reflections from Carter.

Susan Hunter adds that Saline County Habitat for Humanity will soon begin construction on its 18th home, which will go on Benton Street in Marshall. The local chapter was first established in 1997.