My Dad Jimmy Carter Taught Me to Never Retire

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Chip Carter. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I learned from my dad, Jimmy Carter, that you don’t retire. I’m 75 now, but if I told my dad I’m getting old, he would laugh. He didn’t slow down until he was about 94, and he was 100 when he died last December.

Dad wouldn’t want me sitting still in my old age, so this year I’m leading the 39th Annual Habitat for Humanity Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project in his honor. I cried during the opening ceremony, because it’s the first time the work project has happened since my father died.

That was emotional, but there’s so much joy this weekend. When we arrived at the build site, my wife asked me why I was grinning so much. I said, “Because we’re home.”

My dad taught me the importance of community

My parents both believed that housing is a human right. They had lived in public housing when I was a toddler. They also believed in community, which is why Habitat doesn’t just build homes — we build neighborhoods. This year, we’re constructing 25 homes during the Carter Work Project.

I know about a third of the 1,000 people working on this build. Many of them are like me: senior citizens who want to help increase affordable housing.

This year, my daughter Margaret and her husband are also at the build. My parents would love to see that the next generation is helping too. Volunteering was important to them because when you’re swinging a hammer, you’re not talking to the lady next to you about politics: you’re talking about kids or baseball.

I became friends with my parents as their caretaker

Growing up in the Carter household, we always had a job to do. My dad would pay us one penny per year of age to do chores, which meant I was making 10 cents an hour when I started. My brother only made 8 cents an hour, so that was pretty cool. Eventually, Dad had to pay us the minimum wage: $1.25 an hour. That was really a lot of money when you could buy a Coke and a Moon Pie for 10 cents.

When we debated an issue at the breakfast or dinner table, my dad would always take the opposing side. You knew he didn’t believe that, but he’d convince you that he did. We’d get into those debates for 15 or 20 years.

My dad was busy, especially when he was president. But when he was home and didn’t have anything on his schedule, he was able to relax a bit.

I took care of my mom and dad over the past six years, until she died in 2023 and he joined her a year later. That’s when I became friends with my parents. We’d spend three or four nights a week together, making each other laugh and having great conversations. Even today, my parents are still my heroes.

I feel great after volunteering

My dad would want the people who move into the houses we build to get involved with their community. That’s the beautiful thing about Habitat: homeowners get a home they couldn’t otherwise afford, and volunteers get a week of giving to others.

When I leave the build, I feel the best I feel all year. I can pat myself on the back for volunteering and carrying my parents’ legacy. I hope more people get involved — if not with Habitat, then with other volunteer opportunities in their community. I look forward to volunteering for years to come.