100 Days until Carter Work Project: 100 Reasons to Get Excited

Get excited! The Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project is just 100 days away. We couldn’t be more honored and thrilled that this annual global event is coming to the Twin Cities from September 29 through October 4, 2024. 

During its nearly 40-year history, the Carter Work Project has traveled to 14 countries and brings together thousands of volunteers, celebrities, elected officials, and other VIPs to build homes and cast a global spotlight on the urgent importance of affordable housing. The 2024 Carter Work Project will launch Habitat’s construction efforts at The Heights on St. Paul's East Side, Twin Cities Habitat's largest-ever development! We’re also honored to celebrate the legacy and impact that the former President and late First Lady created with Habitat for Humanity.  

Whether you’re volunteering on the build site or interested in Twin Cities Habitat’s work, there are so many reasons to be excited that this event is coming to town—at least 100!  

Build Forward Bash on October 1 

1. President Jimmy Carter’s 100th Birthday is on October 1. 

2. We’re celebrating with our Build Forward Bash at The Armory in Minneapolis that evening. 

3. You’re invited! Mark your calendar and stay tuned for details (Tuesday, October 1, doors at 6:00 p.m.). 

4. The Family Stone will be our headliner (!!!!)

The Family Stone - photo by Jim Hegan Photography, from www.thefamilystoneband.com 

5. St. Paul and the Mpls Funk All Stars will open the show with the best of Twin Cities funk music. 

6. You’ll be inspired and learn more about Twin Cities Habitat’s Build Forward Together campaign through videos, speakers, interactive exhibits, and activities. 

7. The I-35W bridge will be lit up in Habitat blue, green, and orange to mark this special occasion.

More parties and fun

8. Carter Work Project participants will be welcomed to Minnesota at an Opening Ceremony hosted by Jon Berry, In-Arena Host for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx.

9. NUNNABOVE – which has been called “the next generation of Minneapolis sound” – will delight attendees at the Opening Ceremony. 

10. Community members and project participants are invited to an After Party following the Opening Ceremony—stay tuned for details. 

11. Our Participant Experience Committee made up of staff, board, and community members is busy planning this After Party and adding Minnesota flair throughout the week. 

12. Volunteers will celebrate their impact at a Closing Ceremony on site featuring DJ Miss Brit and the Twin Cities Road Crew. 

13. Local artists L.A. Buckner & BiG HOMiE will bring jazz music to additional events throughout the week. 

14. Our Housing Justice Symposium on Wednesday, October 2, will host nationally recognized speakers and an exhibit about housing discrimination and Habitat’s work to Advance Black Homeownership. 

A local drumline was featured in events at the 2010 Carter Work Project in the Twin Cities.

Hammer time 

15. More than 1,000 people will volunteer each day of the week-long build. 

16. Picture 800 arms swinging hammers each day, and hundreds more supporting a safe, smooth, productive build week. 

17. Of course, they’ll need nails and other fasteners – roughly 5.5 tons of them!  

18. And it’s not just hammers – volunteers will have access to 2,000 individual power tools and 18,000 individual hand tools.  

19. Among the many materials they’ll use, volunteers will install nearly 5,000 pieces of sheathing.  

20. Safety is our top priority—hard hats all around, please. 

21. Volunteers will contribute a collective 30,000+ hours in just one week. 

22. They’ll work on 35+ homes, including a combo of single-family and multi-family homes. 

23. Volunteers will be spread across 103 different floors completing work ranging from framing to flooring. 

24. About 350 volunteers will travel to the Twin Cities from across the country to be part of this historic event. 

Volunteers arrive on site at the 2023 Carter Work Project in Charlotte, NC.

25. Last year, our good friends at Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region set a high bar for on-site hospitality—and we’re working to raise it! Expect great food, plenty of water, and some of Minnesota’s favorite treats. 

26. SWAG! Stay tuned for a link to our Carter Work Project online store to get your hands on the coolest merch around.  

27. Plus, we’re creating a super exclusive signature item only available at the build site Merch Store that week—volunteers, get pumped!  

28. Local and national media are invited to cover the event. Reach out to Kaitlyn.Dormer@tchabitat.org with inquiries. 

Historic celebration of the Carters 

29. It’s the 40th Anniversary of the Carters’ first build with Habitat for Humanity in New York City, which set in motion their monumental impact on Habitat’s mission around the world. 

30. Their legacy lives on in the generosity and service of all those who participate in Habitat for Humanity builds, this week and all year round. 

31. The Carters alongside volunteers have built, renovated, or repaired more than 4,417 homes in 14 countries. We will add 35 more to the Carter Work Project count. 

32. This isn’t our first rodeo. Twin Cities Habitat was one of the host cities for the 2010 Carter Work Project. 

Former President Jimmy Carter (left) and former Vice President and Minnesota Senator Walter Mondale (center) building together, alongside former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak (right), at the 2010 Carter Work Project in the Twin Cities.

Celebrities, elected officials, and VIPs 

33. Country music sensations Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are the Habitat Humanitarian hosts of the 2024 Carter Work Project; they'll help build a home all week long. 

34. Habitat homebuyers and homeowners – our favorite VIPs – are invited to build and/or share their stories through this event (if you’re a homebuyer or homeowner, check out the details and get in touch with us!). 

35. Thursday’s CEO Build will include 40 executives from local and national corporate partners. 

36. Tuesday’s Red Blue Build will include 40 state legislators. 

37. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter is enthusiastic about welcoming the Carter Work Project to the capital city and plans to participate in numerous events and activities during the week. 

38. While the build takes place in St. Paul, we’ll host events in both Twin Cities and engage elected officials, volunteers, and community members from across the metro area.  

39. Our amazing Twin Cities Habitat staff are excited to host and are hard at work on every detail of the event, from construction and event coordination to community engagement and fundraising, all while continuing to fulfill our mission this year.  

The Heights is huge and super green 

40. The Carter Work Project takes place at The Heights, Twin Cities Habitat’s largest development ever (with up to 147 Habitat homes over the coming years). 

41. The broader 112-acre development at The Heights is the largest modern-day investment in the East Side that will bring more than 1,000 units of affordable housing, a 5-acre park, and 20 additional acres of green space to the area.

42. The home designs are beautiful!

43. The Heights is a transformational redevelopment of the former Hillcrest Golf Course, an important gathering space for the Jewish community of St. Paul for nearly 100 years and a cherished historical touchstone for former members still today. 

44. The Heights will be an all-electric community that has the potential to be one of the most energy-efficient developments ever created in Minnesota.  

But how will the Heights be so green, you ask? Details here and highlights below.  

45. Rooftop solar panels/shingles on every home. 

46. Air source heat pumps offer a highly efficient, electrically powered system for heating and cooling without the use of fossil fuels.  

47. ENERGY STAR Certified refrigerators, furnaces, and water heaters will be used in every unit. 

48. Passive homes are super well-insulated and use 90% less energy than a traditional home. 

49. A geothermal energy system will use energy from the Earth’s crust instead of fossil fuels. 

Solar panels and/or solar shingles will be on every home at The Heights.

Our generous community 

50. More than $7 million in monetary contributions from this super generous community. 

51. More than $3 million of in-kind donated product contributions. 

52. Diamond Sponsors: Corey Sauer, Andersen Corporation, GAF, U.S. Bank. 

53. Platinum Sponsors: Delta Air Lines, MasterBrand, Wells Fargo. 

54. Gold Sponsors: Carrier, Comcast, Computype, HMTX Industries, Stoggles, Inc., Target, Tennant Company.  

55. Another 35+ companies have stepped up as sponsors—full list coming soon!

56. Special shout out to the individuals and families who’ve stretched their personal commitments to join as Ambassador and Stability Sponsors!  

57. You and your company can get in on the fun: A few sponsorship opportunities remain and information can be found here. 

58. If crowds and hammers aren’t your thing, donate to or shop at our ReStore Home Improvement Outlets. You’ll keep usable items in circulation and proceeds support Habitat’s work in our community. 

Local and long-term impact 

59. We’re prioritizing supporting local, minority-, and women-owned businesses as our event vendors for catering, entertainment, transportation, printing, and so much more.

60. As we always do, we have those same priorities for our subcontracted construction work. 

61. We’re proud to contribute to the vibrance of the Greater East Side—a diverse community that’s rich with working-class history, plenty of small businesses, arts and culture organizations, and a strong and longstanding pride in the East Sider identity. 

62. We're working closely with the Greater East Side Community Council, the East Side Freedom Library, and other key stakeholders to build relationships between the Greater East Side community and the Habitat community.

63. Our work at The Heights helps advance racial equity by removing barriers to homeownership for communities of color.  

Angela bought her home through our new Advancing Black Homeownership Program. Read her story.

64. Of course, the most important reason to get excited for the Carter Work Project is the fact that dozens of our neighbors will soon have the opportunity to buy brand-new, beautiful homes with a payment they can afford. 

65. Their homes will be so much more than a roof over their heads. Habitat homes lead to improved health outcomes, better grades in school, increased family stability, and greater long-term wealth-building potential. 

66-100. So, Reasons 66 through 100 to get excited for Carter Work Project represent each of the 35 families who will soon unlock the transformational power of homeownership and create an impact that lasts for generations!