Former US President Jimmy Carter’s Legacy Honored on His 98th Birthday | “A Remarkable Life of Service”

People all over the world are celebrating the 98th birthday of former president Jimmy Carter. Celebrating on Saturday in Plains, Georgia, the town where he was born in 1924, Carter could be seen grinning in a wheelchair watching the march in a photo shared by the The Carter Center. America's oldest surviving president, Carter, has had a busy four decades since he left the White House, per PEOPLE. Through The Carter Center, which he and former first wife Rosalynn Carter established in 1982, he has continued his humanitarian initiatives. The Carter Center team set up an online message board where fans of the 39th president may submit messages of appreciation in honor of Saturday's historic event, which will be the oldest a former U.S. president has ever turned. Rosalynn's 95th birthday was also commemorated by the nonprofit with a similar event in August.

In a statement, Paige Alexander, CEO of The Carter Center praised the former president, describing his life as a remarkable. "As the longest-living president in U.S. history, President Jimmy Carter has had a remarkable life of service that deserves worldwide celebration," she wrote. "Whether here in Georgia or in hard-to-reach regions around the world, millions of people have benefited from President Carter's commitment to making the world a better place."

Jason Carter, the grandson of the former first couple, is currently the chairman of the Carter Center board of trustees. He describes it as a "honour" to be a part of continuing his grandparents' legacy. "It's been awe-inspiring to watch my grandfather live out his values for all these decades," he tells PEOPLE. "My earliest memories are from his years in the White House, and I've grown up witnessing and learning from his faith and his belief in equal treatment and respect for all people."

The president has "always been known for his honesty, his work ethic, for asking difficult questions, and for his persistence," Jason continues. Although he does add that the former first lady Rosalynn calls the last part "stubbornness" instead. The Carter Center has worked because of these values that his grandfather has imbibed, Jason says, adding that the Centre has done "everything from observing elections to resolving conflicts to nearly eradicating Guinea worm disease — which will be only the second human disease ever eradicated!"

Jimmy and Rosalynn continue to speak out and assert their opinions on significant issues. The Carters have been married for 76 years and are still residing in the Georgia town of Plains, where the president was born. Jason calls them "a true power couple." The Carters advocated mask usage in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, even urging individuals to redirect their Carter Center donations to organisations fighting the disease. They later shared the screen with the Clinton, Bush, and Obama families in a public service announcement promoting vaccinations. President Carter issued a warning earlier this year about the dangers that far-right radicals posed to American democracy.

References

https://people.com/politics/jimmy-carter-celebrates-98th-birthday/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjL7U29vVIC/?hl=en

Cover Image Source: Instagram | @thecartercenter