By Biba Adams, Staff Writer and Report for America corps member
Since it was founded in Detroit in March 2000, Jackets for Jobs, Inc. has provided career-skills training, employment etiquette, professional attire and related services to job seekers. For more than 26 years, Jackets for Jobs has helped individuals prepare for employment by providing the tools, resources and confidence needed to pursue economic opportunities.
On Thursday, October 15, 2026, Jackets for Jobs will host its Veterans Suit Giveaway from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Samaritan Center, 5555 Conner Street, Lower Level, Detroit, MI 48213.
With the support of Fifth Third Bank and First Nation Group, Jackets for Jobs will provide veterans with free professional suits and grooming items designed to help them look and feel prepared as they pursue employment and career opportunities. No registration is required.
“Our veterans served our country, and now it is our privilege to serve them,” said Dr. Alison Vaughn Smith, Founder and CEO of Jackets for Jobs. “A professional suit may seem like a simple thing, but when someone is preparing for an interview, starting a new job or entering a new chapter of life, how they present themselves can make a tremendous difference in their confidence. We want every veteran who walks through our doors to know: Thank you for your service. We’ve got you.”
Jackets for Jobs has secured 1,000 suits for the giveaway, making the event one of the organization’s second largest special clothing distributions.
The event is less than a month before Veterans Day.
Since 1919, America has honored it’s Armed Services Veterans with parades, events, and a pause in many business operations. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the holiday helps to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
This year, the Michigan Chronicle launched The Color of Liberty. The Color of Liberty is our tribute to Black veterans in Southeastern Michigan and throughout our communities. We want to hear from the people who know these veterans best: their families, their friends and the veterans themselves.
Who is the veteran in your family? What did they sacrifice? What makes them a hero to you? We want you to tell us.
Send us an email at newsdesk@michronicle.com. Be sure to include photographs and a story about the veteran you want us to know. Tell us where they served. Tell us about their personality, their family, their work and the life they built after putting on the uniform. Tell us the things that make you smile when you think about them. Most of all, tell us why you are proud of them.
The Michigan Chronicle has always understood the importance of telling our own stories. For generations, the Black press has documented the people and moments that helped shape our communities, and The Color of Liberty is part of that tradition.
You can reach Biba at Biba.Adams@michronicle.com