Habitat Omaha Team at the 2024 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project .
Habitat for Humanity of Omaha team members left both “inspired and motivated” after participating in the 40th annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, last month in Minneapolis. The project helped jumpstart a 150-home affordable housing development.
Working with more than 4,000 other volunteers from all over the nation “brought an infectious energy” Habitat Omaha Sr. ReStore Manager Lorettee Orsi shares. Whether setting up tools, installing windows or sweeping garages to keep the site clean, “every task, no matter how small, felt significant.”
Inspiration and teamwork were the outcomes of so many coming together for one goal: to build affordable housing. “Being a part of such a large group, all united by a common goal was inspiring.” Lorettee said. Habitat Omaha’s 14 volunteer team members grew closer as they learned from one another. The trust and camaraderie within their team, “created a sense of community” that Lorette cherishes.
Habitat Omaha Director of Finance, Lynn Gorman, found that the impact of volunteerism on this development was her biggest takeaway when she returned home as a first-time volunteer. The Carter Project was able to jumpstart work on “The Heights” development in the Twin Cities, that without the large help of volunteers, would have taken months. The 41-year-old CFO saw “the true impact” that working together for a common goal can bring as volunteers worked on 30 of the 150 affordable homes in the housing development.
Lynn Gorman, Ken Mar and Lynette Giboo working together at Carter Work Project.
The impact of Habitat’s mission was felt through storytelling as well. Every morning during the weeklong project, a Habitat homeowner shared their story of how they came to the place of homeownership. These stories, all filled with hope and encouragement, set the tone for each day and filled the souls of every volunteer who listened. “(It) made what we were doing everyday come to life.” Lynn shares. There was a greater purpose for the work being done and an even greater impact on those in the community.
The Carter Work Project could not create the impact it has without the two driving forces behind it, the oldest living former president Jimmy Carter, who is in hospice, and his wife, the late Rosalynn Carter. Ken Mar, volunteer team member and Area County Director of Habitat Omaha, holds a special place in his heart for the Carters. While having previously assisted the Carters on a Work Project in Haiti, the Minneapolis project was not Ken’s first time seeing the compassion and influence the Carters brought. “He wanted to help people and make the world a little better.” Ken shares. The Carters have been advocates for Habitat for Humanity for many years, bringing together thousands of volunteers to build more than 4,000 homes in 14 countries since 1984.
When returning home from work projects with the Carters, Ken has noticed his “heart is a lot more softened.” He has seen firsthand the inward change that comes with working hard, celebrating families, and celebrating the city in which you do the work. As Former President Carter once said, “Our greatest blessings come when we are able to improve the lives of others.” The project is a powerful reminder of the impact that comes with community and collaboration to those being served and those who are serving.
