Operation Success: Sears, Rebuilding Together Announce Winners in $250,000 Grant Contest

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Oct 05, 2011, 09:00 ET

Operation Rebuild for Heroes at Home to Assist 25 Veteran Community Projects

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- America has voted and the results are in: Sears and Rebuilding Together, the nation's leading nonprofit working to preserve affordable homeownership, announced the winners of "Operation Rebuild for Heroes at Home," a social media contest that gave Facebook users the chance to support military members in need. While the program awarded $250,000 in grants across 25 projects, the winner of the largest grant based on a majority of online votes was Rebuilding Together Saratoga County, N.Y. That affiliate will receive a $20,000 grant from Sears' Heroes at Home program to help renovate the Guardian House of Ballston Spa, N.Y., which supports homeless female veterans.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090421/REBUILDINGLOGO )

Over the past month, Operation Rebuild for Heroes at Home called on Americans to vote for the Rebuilding Together affiliate program that they believed was the most deserving. Visitors to the Sears Facebook page could read the stories behind each grant application and then vote for their favorite. Based on the final vote tally, Sears and Rebuilding Together awarded 25 grants totaling $250,000 to Rebuilding Together affiliates at platinum, gold, silver and bronze levels. The full list of recipients is available on the Sears Heroes at Home Facebook page, accessible from Facebook.com/Sears.

"Operation Rebuild for Heroes at Home is one of the many programs that make it possible for Sears to support and give back to the military members that selflessly protect our country each day," said Monica Woo, vice president, CMO for Sears. "We are honored to be able to help so many local communities and help our military members like those at the Guardian House."

Rebuilding Together Saratoga County chose the Guardian House of Ballston Spa as its project for Operation Rebuild for Heroes at Home. The Guardian House is a transitional housing facility that provides assistance and resources for homeless female veterans, many of whom suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, sexual abuse and other issues that stem from combat experiences. The $20,000 grant will allow Rebuilding Together Saratoga County to make critical renovations to a community room within the home, to transform it into a meditative space to be used by all of the veterans as they begin to heal from their injuries. The renovation will include: insulation, new flooring, ceiling and wall coverings and new windows.

"Operation Rebuild has been a fantastic way to engage our supporters and raise new awareness for the needs of our veterans," said Gary A. Officer, president and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "The Heroes at Home program continues to advocate on the behalf of veterans through innovative and engaging campaigns such as Operation Rebuild."

The Heroes at Home program is part of an ongoing relationship between Sears and Rebuilding Together which aims to improve the lives of American military families by making necessary repairs, improvements or modifications to their homes. Over the past four years, Sears has raised more than $15.3 million and provided over 5,000 volunteers for nearly 1,000 veteran rebuilding projects.

For additional information about the Sears Heroes at Home program, please visit Facebook.com/Sears or Sears.com/heroesathome.

About Rebuilding Together

Rebuilding Together is the nation's leading nonprofit organization working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize neighborhoods by providing extensive rehabilitation and modification services to those in need at no cost to those served. With the help of everyday citizen volunteers, skilled tradespeople, the support of local business and major corporate partners, Rebuilding Together affiliates in America's largest cities and smallest towns make life considerably better for thousands of low-income homeowners and the communities in which they live by completing 10,000 projects per year. Rebuilding Together has programs dedicated to energy efficiency, veterans' housing, aging in place and Gulf Coast reconstruction. For more information, visit www.RebuildingTogether.org. You can also follow Rebuilding Together on Twitter @rebldgtogthr or become a fan on Facebook at Facebook.com/RebuildingTogether.

About Sears Holdings Corporation

Sears Holdings Corporation is the nation's fourth largest broadline retailer with over 4,000 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, consumer electronics and automotive repair and maintenance. Sears Holdings is the 2011 ENERGY STAR® Retail Partner of the Year. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands. It also has the Country Living collection, which is offered by Sears and Kmart. We are the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 11 million service calls made annually. Sears Holdings Corporation operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation. For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at www.searsholdings.com.

SOURCE Rebuilding Together