Messages sought to honor Jimmy Carter on his 99th birthday

ATLANTA — Global humanitarian and former President Jimmy Carter is turning 99 on Oct. 1. As part of this significant milestone, The Carter Center is asking the public to share birthday messages, memories, and tributes for him. Messages and well wishes will be featured in a digital mosaic for Carter, his family, and communities around the world to enjoy.

“My grandfather’s legacy is all the personal stories and memories from the people he has impacted all over the world,” Jason Carter, chair of the Carter Center’s Board of Trustees, said. “The mosaic serves as a gift from this community, and we are excited to share it on his birthday.”

To participate, well-wishers can visit www.cartercenter.org/JimmyCarter99 to submit a photo and offer a birthday wish, share a personal memory, or name a favorite trait of President Carter. The images will be combined to create a digital and physical mosaic of the former president that will be highlighted across the country. People are also encouraged to post well-wishes to Carter on their social channels using #JimmyCarter99. More than 6,000 people from dozens of countries have sent in tributes so far.

Leading up to Oct. 1, the mosaic image will also be displayed in Atlanta at various public venues — including Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and Corey Tower — to commemorate the occasion and showcase the city’s love and appreciation for America’s 39th president.

Carter is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the longest-living president in U.S. history. For decades, he has worked tirelessly to wage peace, fight disease, build hope and stand up for the world’s most vulnerable people. Through more than 40 years at The Carter Center, he has helped reduce or eliminate terrible diseases, foster democracy around the world, and promote physical and mental health as a human right.

When Carter began working on Guinea worm disease in 1986, there were an estimated 3.5 million cases per year. Since then, The Carter Center has led a global campaign to eradicate the disease, reducing incidence to just 13 human cases in 2022.

“All of us want to wish President Carter a very happy 99th birthday and to thank him for a lifetime of service,” Paige Alexander, chief executive officer at The Carter Center, said. “President Carter has made it his mission in life to build a healthier, more peaceful world. Now we all have the chance to tell him what his vision, honesty, and compassion have meant to us.”

For more information visit www.cartercenter.org/JimmyCarter99.

Special File Photo: The Carter Center