Sears' Heroes at Home Program Brightens Holiday Season for Disabled Vets

Member, customer donations fund nationwide accessibility upgrade projects

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Dec 07, 2016, 10:00 ET

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.

U.S. Army veteran Missy Melvin, who is establishing a veteran care facility in Decatur, Ga., Open Hearts Residential Living Center, prepares to cut the ribbon for a new accessibility ramp built at her center through funding from the Sears Heroes at Home for the Holidays program. As part of its long-standing commitment to supporting veterans and military families, Sears brought back its Heroes at Home program for the holiday season to immediately assist in building dozens of wheelchair accessibility ramps at the homes of low-income veterans before Christmas.

Sears celebrity designer Ty Pennington (third from right) with Sears and Rebuilding Together volunteers look on as a veteran resident is the first to use an accessibility ramp built by the Sears Heroes at Home for the Holidays program at the Open Hearts Residential Living Center for veterans in Decatur, Ga., founded by U.S. Army veteran Missy Melvin. As part of its long-standing commitment to supporting veterans and military families, Sears brought back its Heroes at Home program for the holiday season to immediately assist in building dozens of wheelchair accessibility ramps at the homes of 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.

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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