U.S. Rep. Hilleary and Nissan Join Efforts To Assist Tennessee High School MORRISTOWN, TN - Nissan North America, Inc. donated $2,000.00 to the Morristown East High School Band in a ceremony hosted by U.S. Representative Van Hilleary (R-Tennessee), Nissan Dealer Operations Manager, Jack Taylor and local area Nissan retailer, Jeffrey Cappo. The donation to the Morristown East High School Band came about after Representative Hilleary and Nissan learned that the school had recently launched a fund raising effort for a trip to Paris, France where the band has been invited to perform in a special concert for the millennium. Morristown East is one of ten high school bands selected from across the country to perform at this prestigious New Year's Eve event. U.S. Representative Hilleary who represents Nissan's Decherd, Tennessee engine and transaxle facility stated, "This is certainly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the members of the Morristown East High School Band and I want to thank Nissan for helping them move closer to their goal. I hope the business community and private citizens will continue working together to help the Morristown East High School Band meet their own Y2K challenge." "It's part of Nissan's philosophy to give back to the communities where we work and live. We are delighted to have this opportunity to help the students of Morristown reach their goal and participate in this exciting event, " said Timothy C. MacCarthy, Vice President of Nissan Government Affairs. Nissan's presence in Tennessee includes over 6,000 employees at the automotive assembly plant in Smyrna and another 400 employed at the Nissan engine and transaxle assembly plant in Decherd. This donation is part of the Nissan Neighbors program, a corporate-wide umbrella for all of Nissan's philanthropic giving, which includes various sponsorships, in-kind donations, and other charitable activities focused on helping meet the needs of communities throughout the United States. Nissan has invested more than $2 billion in the United States to establish facilities for its design, research and development, manufacturing, sales, consumer and corporate financing, and marketing operations. More than 60 percent of the Nissan trucks and cars sold in America are built in America. Last year, Nissan purchased more than $4.2 billion in parts and materials from U.S.-based suppliers.