Public invited to sign tribute doors honoring the late President Carter

MACOMB COUNTY

Clinton Township Supervisor Paul Gieleghem adds to the personal message signed on a framed door in the Clinton Township Civic Center lobby in honor of former President Jimmy Carter, who died in Dec. and will forever be remembered for his dedication to Habitat for Humanity. Framed tribute doors will also be available for the public to sign in Easpointe, Shelby Township and Mount Clemens. COURTESY CLINTON TOWNSHIP

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By Gina Joseph

gjoseph@medianewsgroup.com

Macomb County Habitat for Humanity has lost its hero but knowing so many others are mourning the death of former President Jimmy Carter they’ve come up with several ways to honor his life.

One of these is a framed tribute door that people can sign.

The plain white door, befitting of the humble humanitarian who spent much of his life supporting the mission to build homes and communities for people, will be on display in the lobby of the Clinton Township Civic Center.

“We applaud Macomb County Habitat for Humanity for inspiring this opportunity for our community to come together and honor the life and legacy of President Carter and his service to others both while in office and for his long-time commitment to Habitat for Humanity,” Clinton Township Supervisor Paul Gieleghem, said in a news release. “Members of the public are encouraged to stop by and add their own personal message to this memorial tribute.”

The city halls in Eastpointe and Warren also have a framed tribute door for signing.

It is likely some visitors will leave messages for both President Jimmy Carter (who died in December) and First Lady Rosalynn Carter (who died in November, 2023). After all, they were a team not only in Washington, D.C. but for many Habitat for Humanity builds here in the U.S. and overseas.

Their first experience came in March of 1984 when they volunteered to help with a Habitat build near their home in southwest Georgia. After that there was no stopping their enthusiasm for the cause.

“President and Mrs. Carter volunteered with Habitat for Humanity for decades and will forever be recognized as champions for those needing help as they aspire toward homeownership and hope for a better life,” said Gieleghem, who extended the signing opportunity to Wednesday at 9 a.m. for the township Board of Trustees.

The framed door will be on display in the Civic Center lobby for the remainder of January.

A second opportunity for the public will come this spring.

In honor of the Carters, Macomb County Habitat for Humanity will offer residents an opportunity to share their grief and love during a Jimmy Carter Build on Buckingham Street in Clinton Township.

It will be designed to meet the needs of the selected family’s physically-challenged daughter. Wooden two by-fours available for volunteers to sign and inscribed with personal messages of hope, remembrance, and love will be used in the building of that home.

“I’m pleased that the cities of Eastpointe, Warren, and Clinton Township will be displaying specially made door signs that will allow the general public to express their memories, grief, and love in writing to this Habitat for Humanity champion,” said Helen Hicks, president and CEO of Macomb Habitat. “There may never be such a humble humanitarian who touched so many lives.“

For more information about either tribute visit macombhabitat.org or the Macomb County Habitat for Humanity Facebook page Macomb County Habitat for Humanity.