Sears abandons its charity partners

It’s not only Sears employees and faithful customers who will miss the retail giant in Canada but also many charities who depended on it.

Sears was a major supporter of community initiatives servicing thousands of Canadian youth over the decades, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada.

Jared Morrow, media relations officer with the clubs, said the majority of the funds needed to operate the national offices were raised during an annual golf tournament – money that was matched by Sears. In 2016, it contributed $500,000.

The golf tournament did not take place this year, putting an immense amount of strain on the organization, said Morrow.

He said the loss of a 52-year partnership is a “painful reality to accept.”

The Sears Ontario Drama Festival relied exclusively on funding from Sears to get curtains up every year. The $200,000 sponsorship made it possible for organisers to run the Ontario, B.C. as well as Atlantic provinces’ festivals. The program had been running for 72 years.

Wayne Fairhead, executive director of the festivals, said after working day and night throughout the summer, he secured the support of the National Theatre School of Canada along with the stage workers union IATSE.

They also ran an Indiegogo crowd funding campaign, which has passed the halfway mark. If it hits $10,000, the Stratford festival will give an additional $5,000.

“Sears is an incredible Canadian institution. They’ve supported the festival diligently for several years. We are incredibly sad to see them go,” said Fairhead.

Meanwhile, Scouts Canada will no longer be using the entryways to Sears to raise money and awareness for its environmental and social projects.

“Sears has been a tremendous partner for the Scouts. They have always been willing have us enter their shops and do our thing. They’ve been nothing but an extremely good corporate citizen,” said John Petetti, executive marketing manager of Scouts Canada.

But he also added that Sears was only one of several large companies that allowed the Scouts to interact with their customers in stores, so the Scouts were “sure not to put all our eggs in one basket.”

He also said Scouttrees, a campaign to raise money for tree planting, has been connected exclusively with Sears since 1976. But he expects other big environmental sponsors like the TD Band to step in and take over.

Sears Canada continues to liquidate its stores as it prepares to shut its doors for good after 65 years on the national retail scene.