New President Carter creations featured at Carter Center "Winter Weekend" auctions 

ATLANTA (Jan. 23) - For the first time in three years, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is offering a unique, handmade furniture piece, a cabinet, to be included at the annual auction benefiting the not-for-profit Carter Center on Feb. 4, 2006. Crafted from unusual and antique persimmon wood, the cabinet stands 6 feet tall, 41 inches wide, and 19 inches deep. It is by far the largest heirloom ever made for the auction, which is open to bidders around the world. “Since leaving the White House, I have designed and built more than 100 pieces of furniture, and this cabinet is one of the most interesting and challenging,” President Carter said. By bidding on this and many other auction items, members of the public can make a direct contribution to the Carter Center’s work to wage peace, fight disease, and build hope for millions of people. The Center has observed 61 elections in 25 nations, helped farmers in 15 African countries double or triple crop yields, worked to control or eradicate diseases in Africa and Latin America, and strived to diminish the stigma against mental illnesses. 

   Most auction items will be on display at the Winter Weekend held at Club Med Crested Butte in Colorado. The auction culminates on Feb. 4, but bids also are being accepted on the Center’s Web site, www.cartercenter.org    where catalogs for the live and silent auctions may be viewed. 

   Other auction items include:

  · Two bottles of President Carter’s homemade, private-label wine 

  · Books written and personalized by President and Mrs. Carter

  · Rare prints of a President Carter painting

  · One-of-a-kind, historic 1994 photo in Haiti, signed and inscribed by President and Mrs. Carter, Colin Powell, and Sam Nunn

  · Exotic, engraved, inlaid ceremonial Indonesian dagger

  · Unique Steven Stills’ handwritten lyrics to his song “Feed The People”

  · One acoustic and two electric guitars signed by rock and country music stars 

  · Las Vegas trip including Wynn resort stay and professional poker lesson 

  · Florence, Italy, one-week stay in luxurious, three-bedroom, two-bath Renaissance apartment 

  · Googleplex VIP tour and two nights at the Fairmont Hotel, Palo Alto

  · Palm Springs vacation for one week at former home of Christina Onassis

  · Hawaii paradise vacation in luxurious, five-bedroom home overlooking ocean

  · Private weeklong cruise aboard a 152-foot yacht

   Delta Air Lines is the official airline of the 14th annual Carter Center “Winter Weekend” ski event at Club Med Crested Butte. Event attendance is for invited guests only. Please contact Jay Beck at 404-420-3809 for information on attending the weekend in Colorado.

Located in Atlanta, Ga., The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide. A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, the Center has helped to improve life for people in more than 65 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; improving mental health care; and teaching farmers to increase crop production. To learn more about The Carter Center, please visit: www.cartercenter.org