QUEBEC CITY, Dec. 4, 2012 /CNW/ - While many soldiers will be home for the Holidays this year after spending a number of Christmases deployed on missions away from home, Sears Canada wants to remind Quebec City residents that our troops based in Valcartier and their families still need support. Today Sears launched the 7th annual Sears Operation Wish and will be selling a limited edition commemorative "Support Our Troops" Christmas ornament in support of Canada's million strong military community and families.
These specially designed ornaments are on sale at all 118 full-line Sears stores and selected Hometown Dealer stores across Canada for $7.88 plus tax, with all proceeds donated to the Military Families Fund (MFF), administered by the Canadian Forces Personnel and Family Support Services (CFPFSS). The fund's objective is to quickly respond to unique, unforeseen, and often immediate needs of military members and their families. The MFF is largely funded by donations from Canadians.
Sears today is making a $10,000 donation to the MFF, to help kick-start the Operation Wish campaign.
"We are pleased to support the Military Families Fund which provides ongoing assistance to our troops and their families," said Jean-François Tremblay, Director, Sears Laurier Quebec. "Sears Operation Wish has always been about bringing military families closer together during the Holiday season. When we first launched this initiative in 2006, many of our troops were deployed on missions overseas, away from their families during the Holiday season. Now many of those soldiers are home, and while the kind of support they and their families require may have changed, the need for support is still there."
Sears Operation Wish aims to connect Canadian troops and their families with the public and provide support for military personnel. The ornament, a large red bulb emblazoned with Sears 60th Anniversary and the gold signature "Support Our Troops" ribbon, will be officially unveiled today at a special ceremony at the Sears Laurier store.
Among those at the event are Warrant Officer Marc Drolet, from the Valcartier Military Base, as well as Sylvie Dompierre and Chantal DuBreuil, Valcartier Family Resource Centre. Members of the public will sign a large banner to show their support for Canadian troops. The banner from the Quebec City event will be sent to the Canadian mission in Afghanistan, while others will be delivered to Canadian Forces Station Alert and to one of the naval ships on deployment.
"The support demonstrated by Quebecers through the purchase of this symbolic Christmas tree ornament means a great deal to our men and women in uniform, and their families," said Warrant Officer Marc Drolet. "The challenges faced by our personnel and their families can be wide ranging and don't always end when they return home."
The MFF helps soldiers and their families with rehabilitation, education, financial assistance in the case of injury or death of a Canadian Forces member due to service, and urgent and extraordinary financial demands where the ability to provide family necessities is at risk. It aims to provide some extra help to the military community and families when and where they need it and over and above the benefits they receive from National Defence. It's that little extra that can make all the difference.
To commemorate the launch of Operation Wish, Sears has designated Tuesday, December 4, 2012 Military Family Holiday Shopping Day at all Sears full-line stores, Sears Home Stores and Hometown Dealer stores. New this year, the special discount is also available online at www.sears.ca, with a mobile device at http://m.sears.ca, or with an iPad using the new Sears Catalogue App featuring the 2012 Wish Book. Military personnel and members of their immediate family will get between 15-25% off, depending on the item, on December 4.
Sears Canada is a multi-channel retailer with a network that includes 196 corporate stores, 269 hometown dealer stores, 12 home services showrooms, over 1,500 catalogue and online merchandise pick-up locations, 102 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.
SOURCE: Sears Canada Inc.
Pierre Bouchard
514 951-7516
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