Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's Bay Area homebuilding work remembered
OAKLAND -- Heartfelt tributes and condolences poured in for former president Jimmy Carter after it was announced Saturday he had begun hospice care in his Georgia home.
In partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Carter came to Oakland with his wife Rosalynn in Oct., 2013, to finish building townhomes for low-income families.
KPIX went back to that complex to talk with a woman who worked alongside him.
"This is my room and the president worked in this room and he put in this part of the window," said homeowner Adelfa Zavala, as she pointed to a window sill in her second-story bedroom.
Zavala still remembers the hour she spent building her home with the president.
"I held this part (of the wood) and he put in the screw right here," Zavala recalled.
Of the 12 townhouses in the east Oakland complex built by Habitat for Humanity and its volunteers, former president Jimmy Carter and his wife spent the most time working at 9533 Edes Avenue.
"There were 12 houses here and he chose my house. I said 'wow, oh my God! I can't believe the president is in my house!'" Zavala said.
Zavala said she was really nervous and excited at the same time. It was her first time meeting a president, much less working side-by-side with one.
She said the president was very kind and he was dedicated to the specific task he was assigned to do.
"Most of the people were taking photos and everything but he was focused on the work," Zavala said.
"It's hard to measure both Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter's contributions to Habitat for Humanity," said Janice Jensen, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity East Bay Silicon Valley.
Jensen also worked with the Carters that day to finish building the townhomes.
She said the Carters have been partners, supporters and volunteers of H4H for about 40 years.
"I'm very sad that he will be leaving us but what he's leaving us with is a lifetime of goodness and I think that it's up to us then to take that goodness and go spread it around the world," Jensen said.
President Carter handed a large wooden key to Zavala before he left the job site. She hung it near the front door to show how much she appreciated him and Habitat. Without them, she said, she would not be able to afford the American Dream.
"The Carter family can see how we take care and appreciate this gift because I say my house is a gift," Zavala said as she pointed out the excellent conditions of the 12 townhomes in the complex.
