Yankees HOPE Week: Team Honors Manhattan Group Providing Interview Suits To Low-Income Men
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There were new threads and big smiles Tuesday as the Yankees honored a lower Manhattan nonprofit group that has been outfitting low-income men with suits for job interviews.
As part of the team's annual HOPE Week -- which recognizes people and groups that make a difference in their communities -- the Yankees honored Career Gear, which has helped more than 40,000 men transition from poverty to employment, WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported.
HOPE stands for "Helping Others Persevere and Excel."
Yankees Honor Manhattan Group Providing Interview Suits To Low-Income Men
Players Derek Jeter, Hiroki Kuroda, Alfonso Soriano, Brian Roberts and Jacoby Ellsbury personally outfitted men Tuesday with suits.
"You know, I'm trying to remain calm on the outside," said Norman Gay, of Queens, who was being fitted for a new DKNY suit by Jeter.
Said the Captain: "Obviously, you have better clothes on, you feel good about yourself, and this is something that can be life-changing."
Career Gear does more than provide interview suits, said founder Gary Field, a social worker.
"We help them with interview tips," Field said. "They bring their resume. We look over their resume. We help them rewrite it. So when they walk out with a suit, it's a suit of armor."
The group also offers advice on financial management, nutrition and child care.
The Yankees also donated $10,000 to the organization to help other men on the path to success.
Gay represents one of Career Gear's success stories.
"I went from being drug addicted to kind of owning my own business," he said.
Gay is now an accountant and has returned to Career Gear as a mentor.
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