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Nissan partners with Habitat for Humanity, Heisman Trust for weekend of Dallas area community service activities


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Unique collaboration brings together Habitat for Humanity, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Heisman Trust and Nissan for two days of service in Southeast Dallas

- Events kick off Friday with the Heisman Youth Football Clinic, led by Heisman trophy winner and former Navy and Dallas Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach

- On Saturday, Heisman trophy winners Tim Brown, George Rogers, Billy Sims, Herschel Walker and Ricky Williams join local volunteers and Nissan employees to help construct a home with Habitat for Humanity

- Nissan has contributed more than $12 million to Habitat for Humanity and helped build 55 homes since 2006; Nissan is also a major sponsor of the Heisman Memorial Trophy

DALLAS--April 24, 2014: Each year, college football's most outstanding player raises the Heisman Memorial Trophy, a triumphant gesture recognized by anyone involved in the sport. This weekend, six former Heisman winners will get together to lift spirits when they conduct a youth football clinic and help raise the walls of a new Habitat for Humanity home – an act that will change the lives of a local Dallas family forever.

Kicking off the weekend on Friday is the Heisman Youth Football Clinic, an event created last year in collaboration with Nissan, the Heisman Trophy Trust and United Way. This year, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas identified Jubilee Park & Community Center's Afterschool program as an exemplary initiative that would benefit greatly from a football clinic of this kind.

Leading the football clinic will be Heisman trophy winner and former Dallas Cowboy great Roger Staubach (1963, Navy). Joining Staubach in running drills and engaging more than 150 youths will be fellow Heisman winners Billy Sims (1978, Oklahoma), George Rogers (1980, South Carolina) and Ricky Williams (1998, Texas). The Jubilee Park & Community Center is located in an underserved area of southeast Dallas.

Then on Saturday, Sims, Rogers and Williams will team up with two more Heisman winners – Dallas native Tim Brown (1987, Notre Dame) and former Cowboy Herschel Walker (1982, Georgia) – and a Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity construction crew to help raise the walls of a new home. This unique collaboration grew out of existing relationships between Nissan and its longtime partners Habitat for Humanity and the Heisman Trophy Trust. Together, the three organizations will hammer, saw and raise walls.

"It's an absolute honor to be here with my Heisman brothers and lend a helping hand to those in need of affordable housing," said Brown. "Winning the Heisman was a monumental feat in all our lives, but little can really compare to the feeling of helping others. To have the opportunity to do this in my hometown of Dallas – just miles away from where I grew up – makes it that much more special, and I thank the Heisman Trust, Nissan, Habitat for Humanity and United Way for helping make this a reality."

"In Nissan's first-ever build with both Habitat for Humanity and the Heisman Trust last year, we saw first-hand the power of working together to change lives for the better, and the smiles on family members' faces was an incredible reminder of the importance of community service," said Nissan Marketing Vice President Jon Brancheau. "Together with Habitat for Humanity and the Heisman Trust, we're continuing our mission to improve the communities where our employees and customers live, and we're grateful to these athletes for joining in this one-of-a-kind partnership to build this house."

In 2011, Nissan launched the "Heisman House" concept to highlight its sponsorship of The Heisman Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to an outstanding college football player. The campaign gathers many of the most celebrated college football players of the last 50 years into the fraternal order of the Heisman House. Since then, a number of Heisman winners have joined Nissan in support of its ongoing Habitat for Humanity efforts.

"We're proud to work alongside great partners, especially The Heisman Trust, Nissan and the former Heisman winners here today, who are committed to making a difference and transforming the life of a family," said Bill Hall, CEO, Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity. "There are few experiences more profound than empowering a hard-working family in realizing the dream of owning their first home."

Nissan invites all its stakeholders to support Habitat for Humanity. Point-of-sale materials in dealerships and communications to consumers share information about its Habitat partnership. NissanUSA.com visitors can click through to Habitat's website to make a donation or find volunteer opportunities across the U.S. Grants from Nissan help sponsor volunteers who build homes through Habitat's annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, provide Nissan vehicles to Habitat affiliates, and support sustainability summits for affiliates and their communities.

Nissan's national partnership with Habitat dates to 2005, following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Since 2006, Nissan has contributed more than $12 million to Habitat for Humanity. Nissan employees have helped to build more than 55 homes across the United States, and the company has donated 120 vehicles to support Habitat's mission.