HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill.,
Dec. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/
-- Thanks to an outpouring of Shop Your Way member and
customer donations to Sears' Heroes at Home for the Holidays
program, Rebuilding Together, a leading national nonprofit in safe
and healthy housing, will complete dozens of wheelchair
accessibility ramp projects nationwide for low-income veterans
before Christmas.
According to the Center for Housing Policy and National Housing
Conference, 26 percent of post-9/11 veterans (and 14 percent of all
veterans) have a service-connected disability and face housing
accessibility challenges as they transition from military to
civilian life*. Sears shoppers donated more than $700,000 to support the Heroes at Home campaign,
exceeding the program's goals, meaning additional veteran homes
will be rebuilt next year.
"We're thankful for the incredible generosity of our Shop Your
Way members and associates who have carried on Sears' long
tradition of supporting our nation's veterans and military
families," said Gerry Murphy, Chief
Marketing Officer, Sears. "The holidays are not only about giving,
but giving back. Our members have proved once again that simple,
small gestures by many can result in immediate, long-term impact
for America's veterans."
Sears celebrity designer Ty
Pennington helped kick off the ramp builds recently for a
disabled veteran in Decatur, Ga.
who served two tours of duty in Iraq and has dedicated herself to helping
other veterans in need through a house she turned into a care
facility. Her story is told in a digital video launching at the
Heroes at Home website today at sears.com/heroesathome. Among the
dozens of other veterans from around the country who will benefit
from the program include:
- A World War II Marine Corporal in Lakewood, Calif. who is also an Iwo Jima
survivor
- An Army Vietnam veteran in Henry
County, Ill. who is dealing with the long-term effects of
exposure to Agent Orange
- An Air Force veteran in Dallas
who served 22 years and was deployed four times, and severely
injured on one of her deployments
- A Purple Heart recipient in Atlanta who served in the Korean War
- A disabled veteran in Phoenix
who served in the Army for three years and Navy for four years and
lives alone; a ramp will give him the freedom to continue to live
independently
"We're proud of the more than 1,600 rebuild projects we've
completed with Sears' help, and the need continues to be great,"
said Caroline Blakely, President and
CEO of Rebuilding Together. "The holiday season will truly be
easier and less physically demanding for many disabled veterans
thanks to the generosity of Sears' customers and the dedication of
our affiliates who are now working hard right up to Christmas to
make sure these ramps are built."
Sears continues to raise funds for Heroes at Home in-store and
online through the sale of limited-edition products, including a
Kenmore patriotic washer/dryer pair, a Heroes at Home Christmas
ornament and a Craftsman hat.
Join the conversation @Sears on Twitter and Facebook.
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 Sears-branded and affiliated full-line and
specialty retail stores in the United
States and Canada. 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
leading national nonprofit in safe and healthy housing with more
than 40 years of experience. Together, with our corporate and
community partners, we transform the lives of low-income homeowners
by improving the safety and health of their homes and revitalizing
our communities. Rebuilding Together's local affiliates and nearly
100,000 volunteers complete about 10,000 rebuild projects
nationwide each year. Learn more and get involved at
rebuildingtogether.org.
*Housing America's Heroes: Facts about Veterans and Housing
MEDIA
CONTACTS:
|
|
Brian
Hanover
|
Kamal
Bosamia
|
Sears
PR
|
Zeno Group for
Sears
|
847-286-6080
|
312-527-2SHC
(2742)
|
Brian.Hanover@searshc.com
|
Kamal.Bosamia@zenogroup.com
|
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SOURCE Sears, Roebuck and Co.