The American Red Cross received $1 million for its national disaster relief efforts from Sears, Roebuck and Co. The gift was presented by three Sears employees who were helped by the Red Cross after their homes were destroyed by natural disasters this past year.

The grant was presented in a Feb. 23 ceremony held in Little Rock, Ark., recently hit by tornadoes.

In addition to the grant, Sears has agreed to host Red Cross blood drives and education classes in stores nationwide. The two groups also are discussing marketing safety and disaster preparedness equipment.

The Sears presenters were: Karen Fournier, who lost her home during last year's flood in Grand Forks, N.D.; Ben Roberts, whose Jackson, Tenn.., home was destroyed by a January tornado; and Altagracia Toledo, who lost her home in Puerto Rico to Hurricane Georges.

Twenty-five company employees joined with Sears spokesman Bob Vila after the ceremony to help clean up an historic Little Rock neighborhood devastated by the storms.