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Family, supporters celebrate Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday

Carter's humanitarian work was honored by multiple organizations that marked the occasion with projects of their own.

Former President Jimmy Carter turns 100 on Tuesday, and his family and supporters are marking the occasion by rallying for the causes close to Carter. (Scripps News)

By: Casey Mendoza

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Former President Jimmy Carter is celebrating his 100th birthday.

Carter, who is receiving hospice care, was wheeled outside his home in Plains, Georgia, to watch a military flyover in his honor, CBS News reported.

Georgia Gov. declared Oct. 1 "Jimmy Carter Day" in the state to honor
the 39th president.

"Marty, the girls, and I send him best wishes as he and his family celebrate this milestone," Gov. Brian Kemp said.

Carter's remarkable story began on his family's peanut farm outside Plains, Georgia. The Democrat would graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 and serve as an engineering officer. After being elected as Georgia's governor in the early 70s, he won a long-shot race for president in 1976.

After the White House, Carter served as a global ambassador and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

The Nobel Committee cited his "decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, thousands of volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit that shares a long history with the former president, came together to build 30 homes over five days. They were led by country music giants Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, who worked alongside the Carters for years, beginning with projects in Hurricane Katrina's disaster area.

President Joe Biden joined former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton in sending well-wishes to Carter.

We’re so grateful to Presidents Biden, Obama, Bush, and Clinton for contributing messages for President Carter’s 100th birthday concert. The audience was thrilled! Today, on President Carter’s actual birthday, we’re delighted to share excerpts from those with the world. pic.twitter.com/DhA7O18FbA
— The Carter Center (@CarterCenter) October 1, 2024

Carter's birthday has been celebrated for weeks. In September, a star-studded concert at Atlanta's Fox Theatre raised money to support the international programs of the Carter Center, which Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter founded in 1982 with the mission to " wage peace, fight disease, and build hope." The concert airs on public broadcasting on Oct. 1.