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
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 or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at .
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.
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
Web site: