1. Dear President Carter:
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Mid-Bronx Desperadoes Community Housing Corporation, I invite
you to rejoin us in New York on October 22, 2009, during our 34th anniversary gala to receive the MBD Legacy
Award. In October of 1977, you visited a once poverty-stricken, devastated area of the South Bronx called
Charlotte Street and if it had not been for your presence, leadership and call to action to improve the urban
blight that had affected the area, the beautification and rebirth of the neighborhood would not have been
possible. The Mid-Bronx Desperadoes (MBD) Housing Corp. was in its infancy then, but your visit made it
possible for use to serve as the sponsor and marketing agent for the 89 homes now known as Charlotte Street
Gardens, a model urban success that put MBD on the map.
You heralded our cause and since then, MBD has successfully sponsored, constructed or renovated over 1,200
units of housing for low and middle-income families, as well as the elderly, in the Bronx. Our success would
not have been possible without you! We would be privileged to have you with us as our honored guest at our
34th anniversary gala. The event will be held at the New York Botanical Gardens, located at 200th Street and
Kazimiroff Boulevard in the Bronx at 6:00 p.m.
By receiving this award, we will be paying tribute to your historic presidential legacy and service to our
community and the world. You have dedicated your life to public service, to developing housing for needy
families, and to improving economic and political conditions to enhance the quality of life for millions of
people. In the Crotona Park East neighborhood of the South Bronx, we have felt the impact of your
leadership, governance, skill, knowledge, compassion and generosity. You have touched the lives of our
residents and we would be extremely grateful if you would allow us to publicly express our appreciation for
your service to our community.
MBD was founded as a coalition of volunteers determined to save their community from the overwhelming
incidence of arson, disinvestment, abandonment and population loss that had decimated the Crotona Park East
section of the Bronx. Since then, MBD has successfully sponsored, constructed or renovated over 1,200 units of
housing, which it currently manages, and has expanded its role in the community as a provider of critical health,
social and human services for its residents.
I hope your schedule will permit you to accept this invitation and to once again join forces with MBD in our quest
to provide affordable housing for residents in the Bronx. While much has been accomplished, much more
remains to be done. Your support would be so meaningful to our organization and community.
We will call your office within the next few weeks to determine whether it might be possible. In the interim,
please feel free to contact me for more information. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Peter Williams
President & CEO
July 7, 2015
The Honorable Jimmy Carter
The Carter Center
One Copenhill
453 Freedom Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30307