Jimmy Carter’s Work Continues in Fort Worth through Habitat for Humanity
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Opal Lee, the Fort Worth resident acclaimed as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” will be an honored guest at the BuildStrong Lunch, the annual fundraiser for Trinity Habitat for Humanity, the Tarrant County chapter of the international Habitat for Humanity non-profit organization.
Tuesday is the deadline for registering for the complimentary luncheon, set for noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Fort Worth Convention Center, 1201 Houston St. Although the meal will be offered free of charge, the event serves as a fundraiser for the local organization with donations being requested.
Lee not only served as a member of the Trinity Habitat’s founding board in 1989, but on June 13 this year, the 96-year-old became a recipient of a special Habitat for Humanity house. Lee moved into the newly constructed house that the organization, along with other sponsors, built for her on the land once owned by her family.
1000 Houses
Lee’s story is just one of 1,000 Habitat for Humanity stories in Tarrant County. That’s the total number of Habitat homes completed in Tarrant County since the organization’s launch in Fort Worth, according to the organization’s 2023 impact report.
“We believe in giving people a decent place to live,” said Tiffany Hall, director of individual giving for Trinity Habitat for Humanity.
Currently, Trinity Habitat is working on four different projects in Tarrant County. Three are traditional three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes in East Carver Heights, Stop Six, and Hillside Morningside <cq> neighborhoods. The fourth, Allen Village, is a 35-townhouse project, facing John Peter Smith Hospital on Fort Worth’s near south side. Both houses and townhomes measure 11,050 square feet, Hall said.
Housing for Professionals
The past 10 years have seen more people qualify for Habitat for Humanity’s affordable housing with an influx of professionals who now qualify for its program. As examples, Hall pointed to the 2020 Covid pandemic seeing increasing needs in affordable housing near hospitals for essential workers, and more recently a teacher with three children who moved into her Habitat home in Weatherford.
“We’re really working with the essential workforce families,” she said. “It’s our teachers, our bank tellers, and medical professionals. There is someone you will run into during your day who would qualify for a Habitat home. We’re trying to change the face of what affordable home ownership looks like.”
Global Housing Projects
Habitat for Humanity, a global nonprofit housing organization, operates in local communities across all 50 states and approximately 80 foreign countries. Habitat works in partnership with families in need of safe and affordable housing. The new homeowners help build their own homes, working alongside community volunteers and paying an affordable mortgage. Celebrated Habitat for Humanity volunteers have included former President Jimmy Carter, his late wife Rosalynn, singer Garth Brooks, and singer Trisha Yearwood. All four collaborated with Tarrant County volunteers who worked on the Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter Work Project in the Hillside Morningside neighborhood.
The Fort Worth event this month is to raise funds for future projects. To attend the Oct.30 luncheon, advanced registration is required. To make a reservation, visit www.TrinityHabitat.org/BSL.
