Jimmy Carter’s challenge: “Make Benton Harbor all it can be, show me you care!”

The passing of former President Jimmy Carter may be an international historical event for most people. However, for a group of Southwest Michigan leaders of 20 years ago, it is a personal loss. And one that invokes memories of a ‘one of a kind’ man who gave of himself and his influence to build 24 Habitat for Humanity homes in Benton Harbor in 2005.

Carter’s time spent here personally working on the construction project in June, 2005 was designed to inspire cooperation among local leaders as they faced an agenda of projects that required joint efforts their local municipalities had never achieved before.

The challenge was put to them by Jeff Noel, first in his role as the head of Cornerstone Alliance and later as the Global Vice President of Whirlpool Corporation, overseeing major local projects the company was spearheading. In that role, Noel had the opportunity to interact with Jimmy Carter and attract his attention to the opportunities that existed to help Benton Harbor begin to realize its potential.

After Carter’s death Sunday, Noel reached out to MoodyOnTheMarket publisher Pat Moody with some thoughts on Carter and the difference he made through his focus on and challenge to Benton Harbor.

Here are excerpts from Jeff Noel’s personal note to Pat Moody upon hearing of Jimmy Carter’s passing:

“Given the passing of President Carter, we should all thank him for Harbor Shores, Hooe VI, and the Boys and Girls Clubs.

When Mark Mitchell and I were asked to go to Plains and pitch the Jimmy Carter Work project for Benton Harbor, he asked us in mid presentation. “I can build 22 homes anywhere, so what is the big picture and what will our 22 homes do for the community?”

Perhaps with more confidence than we should have possessed, we made it clear that our vision was to build the community through partnerships, block by block and was real…and we discussed key milestones already achieved. We laid out the Harbor Shores vision, the desire for the 5th time for the community to apply for Hope VI housing grant dollars, and the commitment to create a Boys and Girls club facility on the site of the Jimmy Carter building project.

A few months later, you were there when he came to Benton Harbor and announced the commitment to build homes, and he asked the community to work together and above all, show pride and clean up the streets. He said, “Make Benton Harbor all it can be, show me you care.”

The vision and tenacity of Dave Whitwam and the CWCC and the courage of Jeff Fettig to go all-in, along with Mayors Wilce Cooke and Mickey Yarbrough, former Mayor Emma Hull and Mayors Mary Goff and Jeff Richards who collectively created the platform by President Carter which evolved into, and brought, so much change to the community through the Boys and Girls Clubs facilities, Hope VI Housing opportunities, the Senior PGA Championship, Harbor Shores, and the Whirlpool North American headquarters Riverview Campus, and…yes…the new Emma J. Hull Flats apartments, the MLK projects, and beyond.

Never forget Dan Smith and Merlin Hanson saying we will be there for what is needed when President Carter came to town.

We should never forget these moments and how fortunate Benton Harbor has been with great committed leaders.”

For reference to names Noel mentioned, Whitwam is the former Chairman of Whirlpool Corporation and generally considered the vision and force behind the Harbor Shores Development. Fettig is the former President of Whirlpool and Whitwam’s successor as Chairman. Local banker Smith and industrialist Hanson were early leaders of Cornerstone Alliance.

Noel’s communication skills and unique ability to bring very diverse groups together to achieve a goal wrapped it all together in a manner that caused an international figure, a World Leader—Jimmy Carter—to focus his attention for a time on Benton Harbor and the promise of its renewal.

Indeed… how fortunate!