RICHMOND, Ky. (LEX 18) — A trio of homes in Richmond all share a presidential past. Former President Jimmy Carter helped construct them as part of a Habitat for Humanity project in 1997.
Dora Rossetta Salazar lives in one of the homes. She’s reflecting on Carter's life as he enters hospice care.
“He has earned his spot in heaven,” Salazar said. “Special angel is what I call him.”
Carter was always serious about building, according to Lyle Hanna, the chair of Habitat for Humanity in Kentucky. He helped to bring Carter to Kentucky, thinking they could do one of the habitat projects outside of a big city.
In total, they built 50 homes in a week across the Commonwealth, he said. The homes Carter focused on in Richmond were built in three days. This allowed Carter to make stops at other Habitat for Humanity construction projects, called "Hammering in the Hills,” taking place across the state.
“It was amazing to be with him, he was always so kind and gentle and willing to talk and help you,” Hanna said. “You felt like he was a friend immediately”
Hanna is taking the news of Carter, 98, entering hospice hard like many others.
“It's kind of scary, it's a shame,” Hanna said. “The world without Carter won't be the same, he is terrific, he is amazing, what an example he is.”
Salazar still wears the shirt from the Habitat for Humanity project years ago. She needed an affordable home to move into because the home she had been living in was falling apart.
“To have a president come in and pound nails in, put boards around, that was really special,” Salazar said. “Presidents don't do that, presidents talk about bills and signing this and signing that, but president Carter put his whole heart into building homes so somebody else could be as safe as he is.”
