By Anna Tzinares

For many military families, the holidays can be stressful rather than joyful. Sergeant First Class Charles Coleman is a soldier from the Atlanta area who finds himself in a difficult position: preparing for another deployment while coping with the challenges of his daughter recently being placed on the bone marrow transplant list.

To make the holiday season easier for his family in particular, Sears Heroes at Home surprised the Coleman family with gifts from Sears, including a computer and a gift card to purchase items for their home.

Over the past five years, the Sears Heroes at Home Wish Registry has raised $17 million through customer donations and has helped over 83,000 military families during the holidays.