East Bay Habitat for Humanity CEO reflects on President Jimmy Carter's humanitarian legacy
Habitat for Humanity CEO reflects on former President Carter's humanitarian legacy
Habitat for Humanity East Bay and Silicon Valley, Janice Jensen, shares her experiences with late President Jimmy Carter. "He lived his life with integrity, with a really strong moral compass, and he left his legacy for all to see. He was not somebody who shied away from doing the hard thing," Jensen told KTVU.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Former President Jimmy Carter died on Sunday at 100 years old.
As political leaders across the globe share memories of the 39th President of the United States, community members right here in the Bay Area are sharing stories about the late president’s impact.
Janice Jensen is CEO of Habitat for Humanity East Bay and Silicon Valley, and she was able to spend time with the former president when he visited California back in 2013.
"He’s been a hero of mine for a long time and it’s not too often that you actually get to spend time with your hero talking," Jensen said of their time together. "He really didn’t talk about politics too much, it was about service to the world."
In 2013, President Carter and his late wife Roslyn headed to the East Bay to help build homes for people in need. Jensen was there during that trip, and she remembered his legacy fondly.
The former president was 89 years old during his 2013 visit, but that didn’t stop him from rolling up his sleeves and getting to work.
"He’s the first to arrive, the last to leave," Jensen said. "He dove in, he was alongside everybody. Of course everybody wants to work on the Carter house and we always told people ‘You better know what you’re wishing for’ because the bar is set very high.
There were some things, however, that Secret Service wouldn’t let the former president do.
"He was using the chop saw, he was doing everything. Sawing, hammering. The only thing Secret Service wouldn’t let him do is get on the roof," Jensen said with a smile.
President Carter and his wife Roslyn dedicated 35 years of service to Habitat for Humanity. The non-profit credits the couple with helping to build over 4,000 homes for families in need.
Jensen says the life of service that the Carters both leave behind shows just how dedicated they were to helping others.
"There is nothing he left undone," Jensen said.