Fact Check: Did Jimmy Carter volunteer with Habitat for Humanity day after suffering head injury at 95?

PLAINS, GEORGIA: A claim has surfaced that Jimmy Carter volunteered at Habitat for Humanity, just one day after suffering a head injury at the age of 95. For those unfamiliar with the incident, Carter injured his head on October 6, 2019, requiring 14 stitches. However, reports suggest that the injury didn’t stop him from continuing his efforts to help others.

This claim gained attention online following the death of Carter, born in 1924, on December 29 at the age of 100. As videos of his remarkable life circulated, the story of his volunteer work also resurfaced. However, many have raised questions about the veracity of this claim. Let’s explore what really happened.

What was the claim about Jimmy Carter volunteering after his head injury? 

After the former US President's death in late December 2024, a rumor resurfaced online, suggesting that Jimmy Carter volunteered with Habitat for Humanity at the age of 95, just one day after suffering an accidental fall. The claim has been widely shared in various social media posts. 

In videos circulating online, Carter appears to have sustained a head and eye injury, with one side of his head bandaged and the same side of his eye slightly swollen with clotted blood. 

A Reddit user shared the claim on December 31, 2024, stating, "At age 95, Jimmy Carter fell at home requiring 14 stitches. Despite his injuries, he showed up the next day, to help build houses for the Habitat for Humanity."

The story has since been reshared by numerous users. For those unfamiliar, Habitat for Humanity is a Christian non-profit organization dedicated to helping low-income families build homes and manage their mortgages.

According to Habitat for Humanity's About page, "Habitat for Humanity partners with people in your community, and all over the world, to help them build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage"

Jimmy Carter’s decades-long dedication to Habitat for Humanity

The viral claim about Jimmy Carter volunteering after his head injury has been confirmed true, according to Snopes.

According to the official website of Habitat for Humanity, Jimmy and Rosalynn formed a partnership with the nonprofit organization in the 1980s, which lasted until 2019. 

Over the years, the couple rallied thousands of volunteers, including celebrities, to join their cause. The website states, "President and Mrs. Carter began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity near their home in southwest Georgia more than 40 years ago, and soon brought worldwide attention to the need for decent and affordable housing."

CNN shared a report in which the former president described the incident, saying, "I fell down and hit my forehead on a sharp edge and had to go to the hospital. And they took 14 stitches in my forehead and my eye is black, as you've noticed.”

Fox News also shared a report of Carter's statement, “But I had a No. 1 priority and that was to come to Nashville and build houses." The outlet also reported that Carter took part in his 36th building project with Habitat for Humanity just one day after his brief hospital visit.

The claim about Carter’s volunteerism in 2019 following his injury was also validated by an article posted by Habitat for Humanity in tribute to his death.

The article confirmed, "Each year since then until 2019, the Carters volunteered with Habitat to build or improve houses alongside homeowners in communities across the United States and around the world."