America, the Sears Blue Tool Crew Needs Your Vote in the 'Unsung Heroes: Dads Making a Difference' Contest

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- America, the Sears Blue Tool Crew needs your vote to help reward some very deserving dads! In celebration of Father's Day, the Sears Blue Tool Crew saluted dads making a difference throughout the month of June by asking their family and friends to nominate those who use their tools and talents to benefit their communities. From a collection of inspiring entries, the Sears Blue Tool Crew has selected 10 deserving finalists. Ever dreamed of becoming a judge on a DIY reality show? This is your chance to help select the grand prize winner who will receive $30,000 to put towards a project for their organization of choice. Now through July 30, you can read the inspiring stories of the finalists and cast your vote for a winner at searsunsungheroes.com.

"The 10 finalists that we selected embody the spirit of the 'Sears Unsung Heroes: Dads Making a Difference' program by serving as a daily inspiration to their families and communities," said Ty Pennington, Sears spokesman. "I am excited to work with Sears to provide the right tools and resources to these unsung heroes and see their dream projects come to life."

Each of the 10 finalists is already a winner and will receive $3,000 worth of tools from the Sears Blue Tool Crew. The grand prize winner will have the opportunity to further advance his community work through the $30,000 top prize. Once the grand prize winner is selected, the Sears Blue Tool Crew will bring the winner's project to life. The winner will be determined solely by America's vote at searsunsungheroes.com. The finalists are:

• Charles Muller, Rensselaer, N.Y.
• Chris Dodds, Greenfield, Ohio
• Clyde Underwood, Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Duane Weaver, Alexander, N.C.
• Glenn Minney, Frankfort, Ohio
• Kenton Meier, Fremont, Neb.
• Michael Penoyer, Sherrill, N.Y.
• Scott Longmire, Algonquin, Ill.
• Victor Badaracco, Bayonne, N.J.
• Victor Sander, Kailua, Hawaii

"We are excited to offer these 10 deserving dads the opportunity to receive tools for their community projects from America's trusted tool advisors - the Sears Blue Tool Crew," said Steve Light, senior vice president, tools and hardware for Sears Holdings. "Similar to how the Sears Blue Tool Crew is there for projects big and small, our Unsung Heroes program recognizes a project – big or small – from backyard swingset to community playground. And we're thrilled to give Americans the opportunity choose an outstanding finalist who will ultimately receive the grand prize to enable them to complete the project of his dreams," Light added.

Friends and neighbors of the 10 finalists are encouraged to spread the word locally to help bring the grand prize project to their hometown. After each vote is cast, the Web site allows visitors to send out messages through Facebook and Twitter so that they can let everyone know that their ballot has been cast.

Celebrating Unsung Heroes

The "Dads Making a Difference" contest is the first program in the Sears Blue Tool Crew's new "Unsung Heroes" campaign, an ongoing effort to shine the light on individuals and organizations that are using their tools and talents to benefit the community. The www.searsunsungheroes.com website will be continually updated with information on upcoming programs and completed projects.

The tools section of www.sears.com has helpful information and updates on the latest innovative products, great values and helpful solutions from the Sears Blue Tool Crew. Beyond the Sears site, the Sears Blue Tool Crew has plenty more on the Web.

• Before you cast your vote, check out Ty Pennington's video about the "Unsung Heroes" finalists at www.youtube.com/searsbluetoolcrew
• Become a fan of the Sears Blue Tool Crew page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SearsBlueToolCrew for the latest news, deals and contests, including great deals from the Sears Blue Tool Crew
• Follow the Sears Blue Tool Crew on Twitter @BlueToolCrew to stay in the know about upcoming deals, project tips and more

For more information on the full line of tools available from Sears visit www.sears.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. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,300 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes approximately 929 full-line and approximately 1,200 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. Sears, Roebuck is the 2010 ENERGY STAR® Retail Partner of the Year. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 12 million service 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.

SOURCE Sears, Roebuck and Co.