America’s 39th President Jimmy Carter who is 93, and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter who is 90, were both honored in Atlanta this week with the 2018 Bill Foege Global Health Award. The ceremony paid tribute to the Carters’ commitment to prevent needless suffering and build hope for millions of the world’s poorest. Much of their work is done via The Carter Center, which the couple co-founded in 1982.
A leader in the eradication and elimination of diseases, The Carter Center fights six preventable diseases — Guinea worm, river blindness, trachoma, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, and malaria in Hispaniola — by using health education and simple, low-cost methods. The Center also strives to improve maternal and child health in Sudan and Nigeria and improve access to mental health care globally.
Over 500 business and global health community leaders came out for the ceremony. Attendees also included Atlanta Braves legend Hank Aaron and his wife Billye, philanthropist Stephanie Blank and media mogul Ted Turner. Here are a few of the many quotes and tributes paid to the Carters.
“These are people who exemplify the values we all aspire to—particularly compassion and respect for every human being.”
“There wasn’t a precedent for someone living out their post-presidential life as true global humanitarians.”
“They’ve achieved victories that I don’t think anyone could have ever foreseen possible.
“What drives Mrs. Carter is a great desire to remove the stigma from mental illness…
“They don’t stop. They just continue on. They work harder than anyone—I mean they make all of us feel embarrassed.”
Here is a short video clip about why the Carters were given this award.
Many of us feel fortunate that, during our lives, we have been able to witness some of Carter’s greatest accomplishments. Married 71 years, President Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter have illuminated the world for almost a century. Not only are they national treasures of which Americans can be proud, they are also global treasures who are loved, admired and respected—by millions.
Thank you to President Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter. This world cannot honor them enough.
In 2015, the Facebook page ‘Honoring Jimmy Carter’ created to pay homage to Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the 39th President Jimmy Carter. The content dispels longstanding erroneous mainstream media and Republican myths about Carter’s term in office, and replaces those myths with facts. The page also reminds those who visit—what a great world leader, peacemaker and humanitarian looks like. To to visit the Facebook page, click here.
Honoring Jimmy Carter
Read more about Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in stories below.