Jimmy Carter's connection to Chicago and the impact he made

CHICAGO - Former President Jimmy Carter is arguably remembered more for what he did after his presidency than what he did during it.

Fox 32’s political reporter Paris Schutz has more on how a trip to Chicago helped boost the fortunes of Habitat for Humanity.

In 1986, Carter came to Chicago to volunteer and help put a fledgling nonprofit on the map—one that he would become indelibly associated with for the rest of his life.

Habitat Chicago's executive director Jennifer Parks recalls Carter's work in Chicago as a catalyst for the young organization.

"For him to come to Chicago—show up and put his body to work alongside neighbors really put Habitat on the map," Parks said.

Carter helped put together units in Uptown and Garfield Park. Parks says his devotion to the cause was well beyond lip service.

"He talked the talk of service but also walked the walk of service. By coming up and showing up and building alongside new homeowners," Parks said. "Really meant it's all of our jobs to roll up our sleeves and do the good work of helping each other."

Carter made numerous visits to Chicago over the years—including 1976 when he was a struggling presidential candidate barely registering in the polls. As he told WTTW back in 2006, he knew exactly who to see when he came to town—Richard J. Daley—who up to that point was supporting Illinois' favorite son, Adlai Stevenson, for president.

"Mayor Daley told me that if I carried Ohio, that he would deliver all of Adlai Stevenson's votes to me in the Democratic Convention. So the night I carried Ohio, the phone rang, Daley was on the phone and said, 'you have 273 votes in the Democratic Convention that you didn't have a few moments ago,'" Carter said.

But Parks says Carter won over more people by what he advocated for post-presidency.

"If we could all just follow President Carter's example and get out in our communities," Parks said. "There's Habitat organizations throughout the Chicagoland region and across the nation."

Together with his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter played a hand in building or refurbishing homes across the United States and in 14 countries, according to Habitat for Humanity.