corporate info

BURLINGTON, ON, Dec 23, 2004 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) -- Sears Canada (TSX: SCC) presented a $5,000 cheque to the Children's Aid Foundation of Halton today. The Sears Young Futures program funding will help the Halton Children's Aid Society enhance their Kumon program - an educational after-school program for children and youth in the region.

The cheque presentation was part of the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the grand opening of the new Sears Appliances & Mattresses store in Burlington, which is part of the Company's specialty format store strategy to bring its key product categories to a growing customer segment that shops at conveniently located Power Centres on a regular basis.

Michael Warren, Store Manager at the Burlington Sears Appliances & Mattresses store, presented the cheque on behalf of Sears Young Futures to Tina Blatchford, a member of the Children's Aid Foundation of Halton's Board of Directors.

"We are thrilled to accept this donation which shows Sears Canada's continued commitment to enriching the lives of Halton's children in need," said Blatchford. "The donation will help enhance the Kumon after-school program which allows children to not only improve their academic grade level, but also to discover the feeling of achievement and success."

Through their partnership with the Foundation, Sears has also supported the Halton Children's Aid Society's after-school programs with the proceeds from plush toy sales and "Round It Off Days," as well as with their annual "Tree of Hope" campaign which collects holiday gifts for youth in the region.

"After-school programs for children and youth are important to our community and its bright future," Warren said. "We are pleased to be able to help the Children's Aid Foundation of Halton and Halton Children's Aid Society to enrich the lives of children in need by supporting a program that inspires young people to believe in themselves."

The Children's Aid Foundation of Halton enriches the lives of children in need today, to reach for tomorrow, through fundraising and community partnerships. The Foundation was founded in 1989 as a non-profit, charitable organization to raise funds for the children being cared for by the Halton Children's Aid Society (CAS). These funds allow the CAS to provide children with additional services that are not covered by government funding; thereby enhancing the lives of abused and neglected children served by the Halton CAS.

In partnership with families and the community, the Halton Children's Aid Society's mission is to protect children and enable them to grow and realize their potential within a safe and nurturing environment.

Sears Young Futures, the Sears Canada community investment program, supports organizations that provide enriching after-school programs that inspire children and youth to believe in themselves. Additional funds are raised through in-store campaigns and customer donations of Sears Club points. For the 5th year in a row, Sears Young Futures has contributed over $3 million to after-school providers across Canada.

Sears Canada, the retailer with the most extensive multi-channel network in the country, began serving customers in 1953. The Company has 48,000 associates and, in an independent consumer survey, ranks high in customer service, trust, respect, and quality products and services. There is a Sears location within a 10-minute drive of 93% of Canadians, and Sears is dedicated to providing them with quality merchandise and exceptional service coast to coast through its 121 full-line department stores, 215 off-mall stores, 64 home improvement showrooms, over 2,200 catalogue merchandise pick-up locations, 112 Sears Travel offices and a nationwide home maintenance, repair, and installation network. The Company also publishes Canada's most extensive general merchandise catalogue and offers shopping online at www.sears.ca.

VIEW ADDITIONAL COMPANY-SPECIFIC INFORMATION: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/orgDisplay.cgi?okey=58312

For further information: Contact: Michael Warren, Manager, Sears
Appliances & Mattresses, (905) 332-4244, mwarre1(at)sears.ca; Tina Blatchford,
Halton Children's Aid Society, (905) 333-4441 ext. 248,
tinablatchford(at)cas.gov.on.ca

News release via Canada NewsWire, Toronto 416-863-9350