Oglethorpe University alumna Sarah Opp Carter ’06 and her husband, Josh, know firsthand the challenges and rewards of caregiving, advocacy and public service.

The Carters will deliver the 2025 Oglethorpe Day address and look to inspire the Oglethorpe community by sharing their experiences as the founders of a nonprofit and as grandchildren of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter, whose legacies have been extolled and explored in the month since the former president’s recent passing in their hometown of Plains, Ga. The former first lady passed away in November of 2023.

Sarah graduated summa cum laude from Oglethorpe with an honors degree in history in 2006. She went on to earn a master’s degree in international peace and conflict resolution from American University. She now works as chief operations officer at the nonprofit she and Josh founded, the VEO-IBD Foundation. Josh serves as the chief executive officer of the VEO-IBD Foundation. VEO-IBD stands for Very Early Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Their youngest son, Jonathan, was diagnosed with the condition when he was an infant.

Josh is the former president’s and first lady’s fourth grandchild and the oldest son of Jeff and Annette Carter. He is a small business owner and the writer, producer, and host of the Unchanging Principles Podcast, in which he talks about his life in a Presidential family and the American values taught to him by his grandparents. The Carters live in Atlanta with their two boys, Charlie and Jonathan.

Oglethorpe Day recognizes the lasting legacy of the university’s namesake, General James Edward Oglethorpe. A philanthropist, military leader, and member of Parliament, Oglethorpe was regarded as one of Britain’s most active 18th century humanitarians. This day marks the anniversary of the arrival of Oglethorpe in Georgia in 1733.

Official Oglethorpe Day activities begin on the quad at 12:45 p.m. with snacks and refreshments as designated student athletes prepare to run the 35^th annual Petrels of Fire race, which will begin at 1 p.m. sharp. The Petrels of Fire footrace challenges participants to complete a lap around the quad and reach the finish line before the bell tower chimes stop ringing — a feat recorded only once in Oglethorpe history by men’s soccer player and track team runner Mark Olas ’01 in 1998.

After the Petrels of Fire race, students process, by class year, to Conant for the speech by the Carters, followed by a reception on the Conant Veranda.

Oglethorpe will also celebrate OU Giving Day on February 12.