(COLORADO SPRINGS) — With the news that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has entered hospice care, Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity joined other affiliates in expressing their gratitude for Carter’s 39 years of service and support for the organization.

“We are saddened by the news and are holding the President and Mrs. Carter in our prayers,” says Kris Lewis, Pikes Peak Habitat Executive Director/CEO. “We are so appreciative of President Carter’s life and his work in striving for dignity for all.”

According to Habitat for Humanity International, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, led the first Carter Work Project to New York City in 1984. Until 2020 the weeklong event continued annually throughout the world, with trips to worksites in the United States and 14 other countries. More than 104,000 volunteers on these projects built, renovated, or repaired 4,390 homes.

“The Carters’ 39-year involvement with and support of the organization helped raise Habitat’s profile, impacting countless lives and furthering the organization’s mission of ensuring that everyone, everywhere has a decent, affordable place to live,” said Habitat for Humanity.