Top St. Jude Thanks and Giving® Fundraiser Kmart Encourages Early Holiday Giving

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Oct. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kmart, the top St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Thanks and Giving fundraiser for the past three years, has kicked off its campaign earlier than ever, giving early-bird holiday and layaway shoppers the opportunity to contribute to Kmart's campaign, which raised more than $6 million last year. Now through Dec. 29, Kmart shoppers can help the children and families of St. Jude through a $1, $5 or $10 add-on program at check-out in all Kmart stores or donate online via a link at Kmart.com/StJude.

Kmart will also offer a new way for customers to contribute with the introduction of a Kmart-exclusive collectible St. Jude bear ornament, which will be sold for $5 each at Kmart stores nationwide and online at kmart.com starting Nov. 15. Kmart will donate $1 for each ornament purchased, with a minimum donation $50,000.

"The St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign is a reminder to all that the holiday season is a time to be thankful for the healthy family and friends in our lives and give to those who are not," said Clay Wahl, senior vice president of Kmart Retail Services. "Our holiday season at Kmart would not be the same without St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. We're always humbled by the outpouring of support from our customers and associates and hope to raise even more money this year to help more families have a healthy and happier holiday."

To help raise awareness of its campaign, Kmart will host shopping sprees with St. Jude patients and personalities Sandra Lee and Jaclyn Smith in New York and Los Angeles this December.

"Today we celebrate Kmart and its shoppers for their continued support over the past six years," said Marlo Thomas, national outreach director for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "As a committed partner to our St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign, we thank Kmart for its help in increasing awareness and raising funds for the lifesaving mission of St. Jude."

A partner since 2006, St. Jude recognized Kmart as its 2010 and 2011 "Corporate Partner of the Year" for Kmart's "outstanding commitment." Kmart has raised nearly $30 million since the partnership began, through in-store and online donations.  All funds raised go directly to help children battling cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

St. Jude, one of the world's premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other deadly childhood diseases, freely shares its research discoveries with the medical community, so one child saved at St. Jude means thousands more saved worldwide. And no family ever pays St. Jude for anything.

Over the last five decades, St. Jude has developed protocols that have helped push survival rates for childhood cancers from less than 20 percent to 80 percent overall.  In fact, the survival rate for the most common form of childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, has risen from just four percent in 1962 to 94 percent today.

For more information or to make a donation visit stjude.org or kmart.com/stjude. ShopYourWay members can also find out more via the St. Jude brand page at ShopYourWay.com.

About Kmart

Kmart, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a mass merchandising company and part of ShopYourWay, 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. Kmart offers customers quality products through a portfolio of exclusive brands that include Sofia by Sofia Vergara, Jaclyn Smith, Joe Boxer, Route 66 and Smart Sense. For more information visit the company's website at www.kmart.com |Sears Holdings Corporation website at www.searsholdings.com| Facebook: www.facebook.com/kmart.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^®

Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives and, for every child treated here, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries. The hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent overall, and is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. It is also a leader in the research and treatment of blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. St. Jude was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, who believed that no child should die in the dawn of life. Join that mission by visiting stjude.org or following us on facebook.com/stjude and twitter.com/stjude.

SOURCE Kmart