Support for veterans and military families
The kickoff took place at 10 a.m. in the City Hall Atrium, 117 W. Duval Street, according to Jacksonville's Military Affairs and Veterans Department. The celebration includes support for Jacksonville-based service members deployed overseas and their families.
Among the services announced for veterans, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department will provide free smoke alarm installations in their homes throughout November.
Foundation names grant recipients
The Jaguars Foundation announced seven grants of $10,000 each. Recipients were Five STAR Veterans Center; Operation New Uniform; Women Veterans Ignited, Inc.; Navy League Mayport Council; Here Tomorrow; Jacksonville Humane Society; and The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Centerstone.
Grants of $5,000 each went to six other organizations: K9's for Warriors, Operation Barnabas, Veterans Treatment Court, Florida National Guard Foundation, St. Michaels Soldiers and Wounded Warrior Project.
Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits can apply to the foundation during three application periods each year, according to the Jaguars Foundation. It reviews applications serving military and veteran communities in September, ahead of the Celebration of Valor Ceremony held in partnership with CSX and the City of Jacksonville.
The awards continue the foundation's support for military organizations in the region. In 2023, Jaguars President Mark Lamping and Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan announced $70,000 in grants to 11 organizations serving military members and veterans across northeast Florida. At that time, the foundation reported contributing $1.4 million since 2013 to the city's Veterans Resource and Reintegration Center at City Hall, plus more than $1.2 million to local military- and veteran-serving nonprofits.
In a broader account of the foundation's giving published in 2025, the city said the Jaguars Foundation and the Khan Family had donated $38.1 million through the foundation since 2012. That included $1 million for revitalizing Jacksonville's historic OUTEAST neighborhood and $5 million toward construction of the new Museum of Science & History (MOSH).
November events and parade details
The city's schedule includes the 4th Annual Swings for Service Charity Golf Tournament on Nov. 5 at St. Johns Golf and Country Club. The tournament raises money for women veterans and veteran-focused organizations. On Nov. 6, the Veterans Flight Line Run takes place at NS Mayport; participants must have base access.
Two events are scheduled for Nov. 7: the Wounded Warrior Project Carry It Forward 5K and the 2nd Annual UF Health Brain Health Summit. The summit, at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, is free and organized in collaboration with the Military Affairs and Veterans Department and VyStar Credit Union.
The Veterans Day Parade begins at 11:01 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11. According to the city, the route runs from the front of the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts at Waters/Hogan Street to the Shipyards Parking Lot (Lot X). The Law Offices of Ron Sholes, P.A. is presenting the parade, which is hosted by Jacksonville's Office of Sports & Entertainment.
Celebration continues into December
The event series extends beyond Veterans Day, as it did in 2025. Last year's celebration concluded on Dec. 13 with Wreaths Across America and the Army-Navy Watch Party, according to the city. Deegan said then that Jacksonville's commitment to veterans and military families "goes far beyond Veterans Day."
This year's December schedule includes the Vetrepreneur 10th Anniversary Summit on Dec. 4, followed by the Army-Navy Watch Party on Dec. 12 and Wreaths Across America on Dec. 19.
