President Jimmy Carter died Sunday at 100 years old.
Lighthouse Reporter Ryan Jenkins sat down one-on-one with Brian Sonderman, the CEO of Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity for an in-depth look back at the legacy Carter had on Milwaukee neighborhoods.
In June of 1989, then President Carter and his wife, First Lady Rosalynn Carter, teamed up with Milwaukee’s Habitat for Humanity with the ambitious goal of building five homes in just six days. They would also rehab 8 other homes. They did this with the help of roughly 1,000 volunteers in the city’s Walnut Hill neighborhood.
Branden Camp/APTMJ4’s Ryan Jenkins: “First and foremost, thinking about those six days in 1989, let’s begin with what you believe is most notable about Carter’s work in Milwaukee. What stands out to you about The Carter Work Project?”
Brian Sonderman: “A lot. First of all, Milwaukee Habitat had never built a new construction home before that week so that was a big undertaking. When President and Mrs. Carter came to Milwaukee it was the fifth Carter work project. They would go on for 30-plus years to do that work, not only in the United States but around the world. So, we were one of the first cities that they came to.”