Sears® Home Services Launches "Building Community Together" Local Give Back Initiative

Teams Up with DIY Expert Ty Pennington and Nonprofit Rebuilding Together to Help Communities Rebuild

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Feb 11, 2014, 12:03 ET

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Feb. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2014, Sears Home Services will set out to restore homes and buildings in the communities in which their nearly 8,000 technicians, project consultants and contractors live and serve. Sears Home Services has teamed up with nonprofit Rebuilding Together to help identify homes and community projects in need of assistance.

The program kicks off today with DIY expert and TV personality Ty Pennington and nearly 80 volunteers from Sears Home Services donating their time to participate in the renovation of three local homes and an old church that is being converted into the new Tampa Heights Community Center. Upon completion, the community center will serve approximately 200 children by teaching computer skills, encouraging healthy eating habits, providing other learning opportunities and more. Rebuilding Together focuses on providing critical repairs, accessibility modifications and energy efficient upgrades to low-income homes at no cost to service recipients.

"What I think is amazing about the 'Building Community Together' initiative is that you have local people helping to improve the lives of their neighbors," said Pennington. "I am so excited to be part of this effort and help kick things off. Hopefully, this will inspire people around the country to volunteer in their communities and support what Sears Home Services is doing."

After Tampa, the initiative will continue in other communities around the country including the Sacramento, Chicago and Philadelphia areas.

BUILDING COMMUNITY TOGETHER: TAMPA, FLA.
In addition to Sears Home Services' in-kind material and labor donations, Craftsman tools along with Sears Home Improvement, Outdoor Living, Home Fashions, Tools and Kmart Pharmacy business units also donated materials. Funding by local supporters was provided by: Arc Document Solutions, Atelier Architecture, Beck Group, CGM Services, The Columbia, Paul Davis Restoration and Remodeling, PNC Bank, Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay, Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union Foundation, Spychala Engineers and Ulele.

"The 'Building Community Together' project extends the mission of Rebuilding Together by helping more low-income homeowners and community centers in need of critical repairs," said Charley Shimanski, President and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "Through this partnership we are able to continue our relationship with Sears Homes Services and skilled trades associates. These individuals play a critical role in the much needed work that we provide to homes and community centers."

SEARS HOME SERVICES: HIRING IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Accompanying the launch of the "Building Community Together" initiative, Sears Home Services is announcing a robust hiring effort. The effort kicks off today with February as National Hiring Month at which the team is looking to fill more than 1,000 product repair service technician, project consultant, call center support, and various home improvement positions nationwide.

"Sears Homes Services is the nation's largest home services provider including repair and home improvements– we provide more than 52 million solutions for homeowners annually, so you know we are serving your community," said Chris Granger, vice president of Sears Home Services. "Our team members live in the local areas they serve and they're eager to provide solutions to their neighbors. This hiring initiative is part of our commitment to provide even better service to our customers and Shop Your Way members. We are making the pledge to give back to the communities we serve and to hire and invest locally to join Sears Home Services."

Sears Home Services also supports the Sears Heroes at Home program, which assists military families facing hardship by completing repairs and other necessary improvements to their homes. Another way that Sears Home Services supports our military veterans is by encouraging them to explore opportunities with Sears Home Services. Military veterans are a part of the fabric of the company dating back to General Robert Wood, Sears Chairman after WWI. That commitment continues today with over 30,000 veterans in our ranks including 1,500 still serving in the Guard and Reserve.

Visit Facebook.com/SearsHomeServices to view updates and photos from the "Building Community Together" events. And follow us on Twitter at @BlueServiceCrew or #BlueCrewCommunity.

And don't forget, Sears Home Services offerings now qualify for Shop Your Way points! Earn 10 points for every $1 you spend on qualifying purchases and redeem your points your way from Sears and Kmart*!

About Sears Home Services
Sears Home Service, the nation's largest product repair service provider, is a key element in Sears Holdings active relationship, providing more than 52 million solutions for homeowners annually. This business delivers a broad range of retail-related residential and commercial services across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands. Sears Home Services also includes HVAC services, home improvement services (primarily siding, windows, cabinet refacing, kitchen remodeling, roofing, carpet and upholstery cleaning, air duct cleaning, and garage door installation and repair). For more information about Sears Home Services, visit the website at www.searshomeservices.com.

Sears Home Services is a division of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), the nation's fourth largest broadline retailer with more than 4,000 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. For more information, visit the website at www.searshomeservices.com.

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 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 its Sears-branded and affiliated 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, 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 8 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.

*Shop Your Way Members earn points on qualifying purchases, excluding sales taxes and other fees. Subject to full program terms available at shopyourway.com.