MILWAUKEE — In the wake of the death of former President Jimmy Carter this weekend, the community is reflecting on how he left his mark in Wisconsin.

His impact on Wisconsin lives on, in part, through his work in Milwaukee 35 years ago with Habitat for Humanity.

"The organization was all volunteer-lead at the time," said Brian Sonderman, the CEO of Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity. "It had never done new construction. It had only done rehabs prior [to Carter's visit in 1989]... and the organization gets a call that the President wants to build homes for the entire week in your city, and it lead to a mobilization of over 1,000 volunteers to build these six brand new homes and then rehab eight additional homes."

Carter worked with the organization for decades. He would often spend weeks at a time himself on build sites around the country and around the world. His work will continue to help the organization and its mission grow for generations.

"I think the message is, practically, to love your neighbor," Sonderman said. "His post-presidency was not defined by his defeat in 1980 — we all suffer setbacks, we all suffer challenges — but he didn't let that defeat define the remaining years in his life."

Watch the full interview above.