This article was originally published in October of 2019.
Videos by Wide Open Country
When 95-year-old former president Jimmy Carter showed up to help build homes in Nashville for Habitat for Humanity in 2019, just one day after suffering a fall at his Georgia home that resulted in a black eye and 14 stitches, country superstar Garth Brooks was among the crowd cheering him on and working right alongside the oldest living president.
Brooks says selflessness and determination is typical of President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, 92.
"You don't expect anything different from the man," the country music icon told Yahoo! News. "He's just one of those guys, and Ms. Rosalynn's the same way. They're just those people that you just have to be around to actually believe it."
Brooks, who, along with wife Trisha Yearwood, is a longtime volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, says the Carters represent the best of humanity.
"What the Carters stand for is what we should all shoot for as human beings. Please forget 'Republican' or 'Democrat.' What they are standing for is as human beings," Brooks says. "If we're going to get anywhere as a human race, this is the path we want to follow. So anything keeping any kind of light on that path and those two people's dreams, then count us in."
Read More: Garth Brooks to Receive Library of Congress Gershwin Prize For Popular Song
Brooks says the Carters and their humanitarian efforts are a reminder of the importance of putting aside perceived differences to help others.
"You've got to understand that when you get to heaven, nobody cares about 'Republican' or 'Democrat' in heaven at all. 'Welcome to heaven. This is it,'" Brooks told Yahoo! News, referring to Habitat for Humanity. "You don't care who's on the other end of that board that's helping you carry it. You don't care the color of their skin, their sexual preference, their religious preference. It doesn't matter. You're all here to build a house for someone who needs it. Usually for a young lady and her babies, or a family that needs it. So this is way, way, way beyond any political agenda at all."
The Carters, Brooks and Yearwood will work alongside homeowners this week to build 21 new single-family homes in Nashville.
Brooks and Yearwood first volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans to help build post-Hurricane Katrina homes on the Gulf Coast. The couple has also been active volunteers for the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project over the years.
Brooks, the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, recently announced that he's removing his name from the running for CMA's Entertainer of the Year award.
Now Watch: Brad Paisley and His Wife Kimberly Are Opening a Free Grocery Store For Those in Need
https://rumble.com/embed/u7gve.v4bsiz/
