Kmart® Teams Up With Steve Harvey to Celebrate Community Through Its Share the Word™ Black History Month Program

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Jan. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Tomorrow, Kmart® will kick off its celebration of Black History Month through its Share the Word™ campaign. Now in its fourth year, the retailer is launching an expansive program which will include an appearance by comedian, radio and television personality Steve Harvey and special programs hosted with nonprofits such as Dress for Success® and The Steve Harvey Foundation. This year's installment of the Share the Word program was designed to spotlight the unique bonds found in black communities that have historically driven the progression of African-Americans.

"Kmart's Share the Word program is a great way to empower African-American communities," said Harvey. "They not only listen to what their customers want, but they also do whatever they can to support them and their contribution to my foundation and Dress for Success are true examples of that."

"We're honored to be part of the Share the Word program celebrating Black History Month this year," said Susan Kyles, Dress for Success Memphis. "Encouraging and embracing community is what makes organizations like Dress for Success thrive. We're happy to a part of this collective effort."

Back this year with new in-store events, an online contest*, a new website and nonprofit and celebrity participation, Kmart's Share the Word campaign will offer several exciting components:

Block Party Contest and Steve Harvey Foundation

New to this year's Share the Word program, customers will have the chance to showcase their own community pride through a contest to win the ultimate community prize: a Kmart-sponsored block party with an appearance by Steve Harvey. Entries will be accepted until Feb. 18 and a final winner will be selected in the beginning of March.

As additional incentive to apply for the Block Party, Kmart will also donate $100 for every entry received to the Steve Harvey Mentoring Program, up to $25,000.

Dress for Success Events

This year, Kmart also joins forces with Dress for Success, an international not-for-profit organization that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Since its conception in 1997, Dress for Success has served more than 550,000 women worldwide.

In conjunction with Dress for Success, Kmart will host two in-store events: one featuring Steve Harvey on Feb. 12 in Memphis, Tenn. and the second on Feb. 15 in Charlotte, N.C. Both events will include style advice and consultations from Dress for Success reps and local stylists and special day-long discounts for Dress for Success attendees. The event in Memphis will also include an autograph session with Steve Harvey.

Share the Word Website and Social Media

Back for another year, Kmart's Share the Word website will launch on Feb. 1, offering links to blog posts as well as relevant sales and promotions available at Kmart stores. Customers will also be able to enter the Block Party contest through the site.

Kmart will also publish weekly blog posts accessible through the Share the Word website, offer discussion questions as well as tips and suggestions for people to make a difference in their communities.

For social media fans, ongoing newsfeeds will also be available through Kmart's Facebook page and the retailer will re-launch its #SharetheWord hash tag in Twitter posts that will appear on http://twitter.com/KmartDealsnNews, in an effort to encourage customers to engage in the discussions throughout the month.

"We're happy that this year's Share the Word program is back in a new and exciting way with greater involvement from Steve Harvey and our new relationship with Dress for Success," said Mark Snyder, chief marketing officer, Kmart. "We are always looking for ways to reach all of our audiences and create programs that resonate with them."

The 2011 Share the Word program is one of many launched by the retailer to celebrate the diversity of its customers.

For more information, visit www.kmart.com/sharetheword throughout February.

About Kmart

Kmart, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq: SHLD), is a mass merchandising company that offers customers quality products through a portfolio of exclusive brands that include Jaclyn Smith, Joe Boxer, County Living, Route 66 and Smart Sense. For more information, visit the company's website at www.kmart.com or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at www.searsholdings.com.

About Dress for Success

Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Since starting operations in 1997, Dress for Success has expanded to more than 100 cities in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, the UK and the West Indies. To date, Dress for Success has helped more than 550,000 women work towards self-sufficiency. Visit www.dressforsuccess.org to learn more.

* No purchase necessary. Contest entry period starts on 2/1/11 and ends on 2/18/11. Contest voting period starts on 2/28/11 and ends 3/6/11. Contest open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older. Void where prohibited. See Official Rules at www.kmart.com/sharetheword.

SOURCE Sears Holdings Corporation