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.
Courtesy of Nissan Newsroom
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