A Tribute to Our Former First Lady

Former First Lady, Rosalynn Carter, has spent for more than five decades improving the quality of life for people all over the world. And today, she is still a leading advocate for mental health, caregiving, early childhood immunization, human rights, and conflict resolution through her work at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The Center is a private, nonprofit institution founded by former President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter in 1982.

She brings together leaders of the nation's mental health organizations to address issues concerning mental health.

Mrs. Carter became active honorary chair of the President's Commission on Mental Health, which resulted in passage of the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980.

She also served on the Policy Advisory Board of The Atlanta Project (TAP), a program of The Carter Center addressing social ills associated with poverty and quality of life from 1991 (when the program began) until it was transferred to Georgia State University in 1999.

Mrs. Carter is president of the board of directors for the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers (RCI), which was established in her honor, at Georgia Southwestern State University, her alma mater, located in Americus, Georgia. Through research, education, and training, the RCI promotes the mental health and well-being of individuals, families, and professional caregivers. RCI outlines effective caregiving practices by building public awareness of caregiving needs; and advances public and social policies that enhance caring communities.

Mrs. Carter is a mother of four, with numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She maintains a lifelong dedication to issues affecting women and children. In 1991, she launched with Mrs. Betty Bumpers, wife of former U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers of Arkansas, Vaccinate Your Family (founded as Every Child By Two), a nationwide campaign to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases by raising awareness of the critical need for timely infant immunizations. She also works with Habitat for Humanity, participating in the annual weeklong Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project that in 1984 began building homes for the needy, and 3Keys (formerly Project Interconnections), a public/private nonprofit partnership to provide housing for homeless people living with mental illnesses. She served as distinguished centennial lecturer at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, from 1988-1992 and as distinguished fellow at the Emory University Department of Women's Studies in Atlanta, from 1990-2018.

Since graduating from Georgia Southwestern College in 1946, Mrs. Carter has received many honors, among them are the Volunteer of the Decade Award from the National Mental Health Association; the Award of Merit for Support of the Equal Rights Amendment from the National Organization for Women; the Notre Dame Award for International Service; the Eleanor Roosevelt Living World Award from Peace Links; the Kiwanis World Service Medal from Kiwanis International Foundation; the Jefferson Award from the American Institute for Public Service; the Georgia Woman of the Year Award from the Georgia Commission on Women; the Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health from the National Academy of Medicine; the United States Surgeon General's Medallion; and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor. In 2001, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

In closing, Mrs. Carter, has written five books: her autobiography First Lady from Plains; Everything To Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life, a book co-authored with President Carter and inspired by their life after the White House; Helping Yourself Help Others: A Book For Caregivers (with Susan K. Golant); Helping Someone with Mental Illness: A Compassionate Guide for Family, Friends, and Caregivers (with Susan K. Golant), which was selected as the winner of the 1999 American Society of Journalists and Authors Outstanding Book Award in the service category; and Within Our Reach: Ending the Mental Health Crisis (with Susan K. Golant and Kathryn E. Cade). Mrs. Carter continues to travel and speak throughout the world. Mrs. Carter, along with husband, Former President Jimmy Carter, still attend Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, and enjoys fly-fishing, bird-watching, and swimming in her free time.

The month of March '2021 is Women’s History Month and so we celebrate the lives and achievements of countless women.

You GO Girls!!!

Zelphia D. Williams, Manager of Laydee Mystro L.L.C.

Author of "The Depressed Church-An Intimate Portrait"

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