(AFRICAN AMERICAN NEWSWIRE)HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., - The aromas of tangy barbecue and freshly baked sweet potato pies float through the air. Young children splash about in a pool as their parents' lounge nearby playing cards and dominoes. An older woman gathers a crowd as she talks about the "old days."

This is the quintessential family reunion: food, family and fun. Now Sears, Roebuck and Co., in partnership with Blackvoices.com, has launched a new Web site guide to assist families in planning a reunion and learning more about their genealogy.

The site, www.blackvoices.com/searsblackfamilyreunion, features the expertise of Donna Beasley, noted genealogist and author of The Family Reunion Planner. Beasley will help families plan a reunion and offer insights on how to simplify the process, as well as how individuals can learn more about their history.

"For 118 years, Sears products and services have helped families improve the good life," said Greg Powell, Sears vice president of People and Cultural Diversity. "Sponsoring this Internet site carries on that tradition by honoring the past and celebrating the future."

Site visitors will be able to better understand how to budget and plan for a family reunion, learn fund-raising ideas and gain insights on how to trace their family history.

Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services. With revenues in 2003 of $41.1 billion, the company offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,300 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the U.S. and Canada, including approximately 1,000 full-line stores and 1,300 specialty stores.

BlackVoices.com is a leading news, lifestyle, career and entertainment online destination tailored to meet the needs of African-American adult consumers. BlackVoices.com is a subsidiary of Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB), one of the country's premier media companies, operating businesses in broadcasting, publishing and on the Internet. Tribune reaches more than 80 percent of U.S. households and is the only media company with television stations, newspapers and Web sites in the nation's top three markets.

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