CONTACT:
Sears Public Relations And Communications
(847) 286-8371
Sears and ABC Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Launch 'Winds of Change' to Raise Funding for Gulf Coast Families
Integrated Marketing Campaign Complements 'After the Storm' Series of Hit
TV Show
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The fierce winds that
devastated the Gulf Coast region have met their match thanks to a new program
announced today by Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears
Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq: SHLD), and ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
The integrated partnership, appropriately titled "Winds of Change," will
invite people from across the country to contribute to the ongoing rebuilding
efforts spearheaded by NeighborWorks America in hurricane-damaged communities.
The campaign is an extension the Sears American Dream Campaign's involvement
coinciding with a special series of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition programs
titled "After the Storm."
From April 2 - 29, Sears and ABC will rally viewers and customers to
contribute at Sears' approximately 930 Full Line, Sears Essentials and Sears
Grand stores and on sears.com. All donations will benefit the Gulf Coast
region rebuilding efforts of NeighborWorks, a national nonprofit organization
focused on community-based revitalization efforts.
"The need in hurricane-damaged communities in the Gulf Coast is still
great, so ongoing support is necessary," said Aylwin B. Lewis, chief executive
officer and president of Sears Holdings Corporation. "By keeping these
families at the forefront of customers' minds and by providing a simple way to
contribute, we can do our part to help families continue their rebuilding
efforts."
"Having this kind of support means so much to communities that continue to
endure a long cleanup and rebuilding process," said Ken Wade, CEO of
NeighborWorks America. "This national attention comes at a critical time,
providing survivors with much-needed help and hope."
Bringing WINDS OF CHANGE to Life
The special four-week "After the Storm" series of Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition features the Sears American Dream Campaign and the show's Gulf Coast
rebuilding efforts. It will air on ABC for four consecutive weeks beginning
Thursday, March 23, 8 - 9 p.m. EST to coincide with the Winds of Change
campaign.
As the primary sponsor of the series, the Sears American Dream Campaign
contributed approximately $200,000 in merchandise and Sears gift cards across
several community-based projects featured throughout the series. From
providing 28 families in a Biloxi FEMA mobile home park with Kenmore washers
and dryers to donating Winnie the Pooh apparel to a New Orleans daycare
center, the series features multiple Sears product lines, many Sears American
Dream Team volunteers, Sears Home Services and Sears gift cards.
Winds of Change also is brought to life through an integrated marketing
effort that complements Sears' spring marketing campaign, "Spring Changes
Everything." Winds of Change will be supported by:
-- TV Ads: 30-second commercials featuring show host and Sears'
spokesperson, Ty Pennington, will run during each "After the Storm"
episode and on the corresponding Sunday show.
-- In-Store: 28" x 60" store signage featuring Ty Pennington at the cash
wraps in approximately 930 Sears stores nationwide.
-- Print: Presence in Sears Sunday circular that reaches millions of
households.
-- Online: Sears.com with link to NeighborWorks where customers can
donate.
Since the hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast late last summer, Sears Holdings
Corporation and its customers have contributed approximately $4 million to aid
families in the Gulf Coast region.
About Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings
Corporation (Nasdaq: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing
merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of
home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more
than 2,400 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and
Canada, which includes approximately 926 full-line and 1,100 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,
DieHard and Lands' End -- 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 13 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit the
Sears, Roebuck website at
http://www.sears.com or the Sears Holdings
Corporation website at
http://www.searsholdings.com .
About NeighborWorks America
NeighborWorks America provides financial support, technical assistance and
training for communities across the nation, including the NeighborWorks
network -- a nationwide network of more than 240 community development
organizations working in more than 4,400 urban, suburban and rural communities
across America. These organizations engage in revitalization strategies that
strengthen communities and transform lives. In the last five years alone,
NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $10 billion in
reinvestment and helped more than 780,000 families of modest means purchase or
improve their homes or secure safe, decent rental or mutual housing.
SOURCE Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Web site:
http://www.sears.com http://www.searsholdings.com
CONTACT: Lisa Gibbons of Sears Holdings Corporation, +1-847-286-5506, or Susan Sewell of ABC, +1-212-456-1508, or Becky Fleischauer of NeighborWorks America, +1-202-220-2360