Rosalynn Carter Rings In 96th Birthday at Home with Butterflies and Sweets as Locals Pay Tribute

As former first lady Rosalynn Carter is celebrated around the globe on Friday, she will be spending her 96th birthday at home with loved ones, including her husband, former President Jimmy Carter.

A spokesperson the for Carters shares with PEOPLE that Rosalynn and Jimmy will enjoy a quiet day at their Plains, Georgia, residence with cupcakes and peanut butter ice cream to sweeten the festivities. Rosalynn will also release a few butterflies into her garden to commemorate the milestone occasion.

In February, relatives announced that Jimmy, 98, had entered hospice care, and in late May, they revealed that Rosalynn had been diagnosed with dementia. Through their health challenges, the former first couple — now married for 77 years — have remained side-by-side in Plains, largely out of public view.

While Rosalynn might be staying home for her birthday, the people she's impacted are getting out to commemorate the day through a variety of tributes and public events.

On Friday, visitors to the Jimmy Carter Library & Museum are getting 96-cent admission and birthday cake.

At Plains High School on Friday evening, the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers — which already hosted a private birthday event for the first lady on Wednesday — is screening the 2023 documentary Unconditional, a film that follows multiple families over the course of seven years as they navigate loved ones' physical and mental health challenges.

Throughout the day on Saturday, the town of Plains will host its second annual Butterfly Daze, a series of live performances and butterfly releases in the Rosalynn Smith Carter Childhood Garden, honoring her work to provide habitats for monarch butterflies.

And the Carter Center, which Rosalynn and Jimmy co-founded in 1982, compiled a moving, two-minute video tribute to the groundbreaking first lady's career.

At the time that Rosalynn's dementia diagnosis was announced, relatives released a lengthy statement that touted her commitment to caregiving.

"Mrs. Carter has been the nation’s leading mental health advocate for much of her life. First in the Georgia Governor’s Mansion, then in the White House, and later at The Carter Center, she urged improved access to care and decreased stigma about issues surrounding mental health," the statement read.

"One in 10 older Americans have dementia, a condition that affects overall mental health. We recognize, as she did more than half a century ago, that stigma is often a barrier that keeps individuals and their families from seeking and getting much-needed support," it continued. "We hope sharing our family's news will increase important conversations at kitchen tables and in doctor’s offices around the country."

In addition to organizing meaningful events for Rosalynn's 96th birthday, the Carter Center has been preparing for Jimmy's 99th birthday on Oct. 1. Jimmy already has the distinction of the longest-living U.S. president, and Rosalynn is currently the second longest-living first lady.