Tennessee Family Accepts Keys to Nissan-Sponsored Habitat for Humanity Home

FRANKLIN, Tenn. - Today, at a dedication ceremony conducted by Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County, Nissan Director Erich Marx presented the keys to the latest Nissan-sponsored Habitat home to owner Kimisha Edwards. The ceremony in Franklin included a group of Nissan employees representing their 200 peer volunteers who built the Edwards home over the past five weeks.

"Nissan's corporate vision is to enrich people's lives, and what better way to support a local family than through partnering with them to build their own home," said Marx, director of Interactive and Social Media Marketing.  "Nissan is a longstanding sponsor of Habitat, whose humanitarian and environmental commitments align well with our own.  We were honored to work alongside Kimisha on her family's new home."

For several years Edwards has worked as a caregiver for Waves, a special needs care facility in Franklin.  She has ambitions to further her education, specializing in special needs care.  Edwards has also been working to contribute her own "sweat equity" hours to her home's construction.

"This is a blessing, especially after losing a child.  I never thought I would be a home owner," said Edwards. "‘Thank you' isn't enough to show what you all are doing for my family.  My sponsors are helping me accomplish a dream."

Edwards, who lost her youngest daughter due to complications following surgery in August, will move with her two children, ages 5 and 11, from Nashville to their new neighborhood near downtown Franklin.

Edwards' home is the 132nd home built by Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County since the organization was incorporated as an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International in 1992.  The home is the sixth house built by Nissan in Williamson County.

"Kimisha's home will be a safe, comfortable place for her family," said John Besser, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County. "We are extremely grateful to have a partner like Nissan that shares our commitment to building homes, hope and community in Williamson County.  The employees from Nissan who come on site are a joy to work with."

The Nissan-sponsored Habitat home is equipped with many "green living" features, including low-flowing plumbing fixtures, programmable thermostats, energy-efficient fluorescent lighting, high-performance windows and ENERGY STAR® appliances. These eco-friendly amenities align with Nissan's Green Program, which supports efforts to reduce the company's impact on the environment.

Funding for Edwards' home is part of the $1.5 million donation to Habitat for Humanity International that Nissan announced in September 2012. In the Americas, Nissan will fund the construction of homes in Arizona, California, Michigan, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Toronto, Canada. The company is funding grants and providing Nissan vehicles to 10 Habitat affiliates that make commitments to sustainable construction practices. Habitat will use a portion of Nissan's donation to conduct sustainability "summits" for Habitat affiliates and their local communities. Nissan funding also supports the annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Haiti in November 2012, when six Nissan employees will join 500 international volunteers to help build 100 Habitat homes in partnership with Haitian families during the seven-day project.

Nissan's partnership with Habitat dates to 2005, following hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  Nissan donated 50 Nissan Titan trucks to assist Habitat's response efforts in the Gulf Coast and mobilized employees to assist in home building. Since 2006, Nissan employees have helped to build more than 40 homes across the United States and have logged more than 70,000 volunteer hours building Habitat homes around the world.

About Nissan Americas
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011 and 2012 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com.

About Nissan
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest Japanese automotive company by volume, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is an integral pillar of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 248,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4.6 million vehicles in 2011. With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of fuel-efficient and low-emissions vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A pioneer in zero emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades, including the prestigious 2011 European Car of the Year award.

For more information on our products, services and commitment to Sustainable Mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

Blue Citizenship is the commitment of Nissan Motor Company to realize our vision of Enriching People's Lives. We commit to our customers, employees, shareholders and the communities where we do business to deliver engaging, valuable and sustainable mobility for all. Through our business activities, we aim to create economic value and to actively contribute toward the development of a sustainable society.

About Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County
Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County (HFHWC), a full affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is an ecumenical Christian organization dedicated to building and selling homes at cost in partnership with working families. HFHWC partners with local business, church and civic groups to build affordable, energy-efficient, traditionally styled homes. Habitat homeowners purchase a no-interest mortgage after completing "sweat equity" hours earned by attending Homebuyers education classes and working on the building of other families' and their own homes. For additional information or to get involved as a donor or volunteer, please contact Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County at 615-690-8090 or visit www.habitatwilliamson.org.

Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County is an equal opportunity lender and is pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the nation. We encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin.

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Contacts:

Vicki Smith                                      
Nissan North America                                          
615-594-7198                                                   
vicki.smith@nissan-usa.com

Lisa McIntyre
Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County
615-690-8090, ext. 113
lmcintyre@habitatwilliamson.org