The 2023 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project was hosted by Habitat Humanitarians and country music superstars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood in Charlotte, North Carolina, from Oct. 1-6, 2023.

“Though we could never fill their shoes, we are so incredibly honored to be given the opportunity to carry President and Mrs. Carter’s legacy forward through the continuation of the Carter Work Project,” Brooks said.

The much beloved former president and first lady, celebrated as Habitat’s most renowned volunteers, did not attend the 2023 project. Together, from 1984 to 2019, they worked alongside more than 104,000 volunteers in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair 4,390 homes — always serving as champions and strong voices for decent, affordable housing around the world.

The 2023 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project took place at Habitat Charlotte Region’s large-scale affordable housing neighborhood, The Meadows at Plato Price. Named after the Plato Price School, this historically significant West Charlotte area was once a thriving African-American neighborhood. Plato Price School closed in the 1960s when desegregation took hold, and the land lay vacant until the city of Charlotte donated it to Habitat Charlotte Region in 2019.

The Meadows at Plato Price community will sit on land formerly occupied by Plato Price School, an all-Black school for grades 1 through 12 that was closed in 1966 as part of the county’s desegregation plan.

Over five days, future homeowners worked alongside Brooks, Yearwood and hundreds of other volunteers from Charlotte and around the world to build 27 single-family affordable homes.

Habitat Charlotte Region broke ground on the project Sept. 8, 2021. With seven homes already under construction, the entire 39-home project is expected to be completed by early 2025.