Sears® Kicks Off Heroes at Home Campaign, Will Mark 1,500th Rebuild for Veterans
With Rebuilding Together, Sears helps address critical housing need
Hoffman Estates, Ill., April 29, 2014 /3BL Media/ – Sears, a leading integrated retailer focused on making shopping easier, has launched its seventh annual Heroes at Home spring renovation and fundraising campaign, during which it will celebrate a milestone 1,500th rebuild, honoring America’s military heroes. Teaming with Rebuilding Together, the program provides home modifications and repairs for low-income and disabled veterans and their families.
Now through July 26, Sears asks Shop Your Way members and customers nationwide to donate to Heroes at Home at their local Sears store or via a link online at sears.com/heroesathome. All funds raised go to Rebuilding Together, a national nonprofit with a vision for a safe and healthy home for every person. The Heroes at Home program has raised more than $18 million over the past seven years.
“With Rebuilding Together’s help, we’ve turned $18 million in donations into more than $28 million in home value,” said Ron Boire, executive vice president, chief merchandising officer and president, Sears and Kmart Formats. “Our Shop Your Way members, customers and associates should be proud of the positive impact they’ve had on the lives of more than 19,000 veterans and military families, yet the need is still great.”
Today 1.5 million veterans live below the poverty line and 38 percent have a disability. Additionally, one million veteran homeowners spend more than half of their monthly income on housing.*
“Our work on the Heroes at Home program together with Sears spans coast-to-coast and assists critical needs of veterans everywhere,” said Charley Shimanski, president and CEO of Rebuilding Together. “America’s veterans deserve safe, healthy, accessible homes and Sears, with its longstanding dedication to assisting and employing veterans, uniquely understands and supports this mission.”
Sears’ support of military veterans has been part of the fabric of the company dating back to General Robert Wood, Sears Chairman after WWI. That commitment continues today with over 30,000 veterans in the company’s ranks, including 1,500 still serving in the Guard and Reserve. Over the past two years, Sears Holdings has hired more than 6,000 military veterans. Additionally, thousands of veteran spouses work for Sears Holdings.
The company's leading recruitment programs place veterans in jobs within the organization as well as accommodations for their spouses who have relocated to be closer to them. The company also offers a military pay differential to its full-time associates who are reservists and serving on active duty, allowing each to continue participating in life insurance, medical and dental programs. Sears will also hold a comparable position for deployed employees for up to five years.
For more information about Heroes at Home, to make a donation and volunteer, visit sears.com/heroesathome. Follow Heroes at Home on Shop Your Way at ShopYourWay.com/heroesathome.
About Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a leading integrated retailer providing merchandise and related services and is part of Shop Your Way, a social shopping experience where members have the ability to earn points and receive benefits across a wide variety of physical and digital formats through shopyourway.com. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 1,320 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes more than 790 Full-line and more than 50 specialty stores in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman, and DieHard -- among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 14 million service and installation calls made annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at www.sears.com or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at www.searsholdings.com.
About Rebuilding Together
Rebuilding Together is a Safe and Healthy Housing organization that believes Community Starts at Home. Our focus provides critical repairs, accessibility modifications and energy efficient upgrades to low-income homes and community centers at no cost to service recipients. Our impact extends beyond the individuals served to revitalize and stabilize vulnerable neighborhoods and communities across the country. Our 187 local affiliates complete more than 10,000 rebuild projects a year thanks to the efforts of 100,000 volunteers from corporate partners, skilled trades professionals and everyday good citizens. Join us- visit RebuildingTogether.org.
*Statistics provided by 2012 American Community Survey and the National Housing Conference.
###
Brian Hanover Kelly Cagney
Sears Holdings Zeno Group for Sears
847-286-6080 312-396-9749
