CO-OP STRONG

We Are Co-op Strong

At NISC, we place great importance on focusing on all that we are fortunate to have and the experiences we get to live. Every year, it has become a tradition (in true co-op fashion) to give back via a Co-op Strong event for charity. With the 2025 MIC, Members, Partners, guests and employees will have the opportunity to give back by donating to Home of the Innocents and Dress for Success® Louisville.

Home of the Innocents

Home of the Innocents offers 13 programs that support children and families across Louisville and the state, including residential treatment and emergency shelter for children who have experienced abuse, abandonment and neglect. Their Complex Care Center offers 76 beds dedicated to long-term, skilled nursing needs of children with medically complex conditions. They also offer behavioral health services for children and families through many community-based services like therapeutic foster care and adoption, parenting classes and supervised custody exchanges. Home of the Innocents was established in 1880 and has grown over the years to operate from a 22-acre campus in Louisville. Their mission is to enrich the lives of children and families with hope, health and happiness. They work to strengthen Kentucky by building partnerships, challenging systems, and reimagining the way to care for families. Their commitment to learning drives their belief in family-focused care. They are a values-focused employer of choice for a mission-driven workforce.

You can learn more at www.homeoftheinnocents.org.

Dress for Success

The mission of Dress for Success is to help unemployed and underemployed women achieve economic independence by providing no-fee programs, development tools and professional attire to thrive in work and in life. Beyond apparel and accessories, they have programs aimed at helping women remain employed by providing strategies to nurture professional growth. They also offer women support groups that meet regularly to share stories, build confidence, network and discuss workplace related topics. And in summer of 2025, they are launching a work development program that will be hosted bi-weekly through December teaching women how to create a resume, proper interview etiquette, basic computer skills and much more. Dress for Success Louisville was founded in 2000 after a national news program brought attention to the organization started in New York City. Since that time, the Louisville chapter has assisted more than 16,500 women from over 90 partner agencies including Goodwill of Kentucky, Louisville Central Community Center, Kentucky Career Center, Beside U for Life and the Louisville Urban League.

You can learn more at www.louisville.dressforsuccess.org.

Get MIC Gear & Help Others!

Our 2025 MIC t-shirt features this year’s MIC logo on the front and the Co-op Strong logo on the back. To get this year’s shirt, simply make a $40 donation to Co-op Strong during the MIC registration process. Proceeds will be donated to the Home of the Innocents and Dress for Success Louisville. Shirts will be available for pickup at the MIC Swag Stop in the Partner Pavilion during the event.

NISC employees have made an initial donation of $11,000 from a staff garage sale hosted this past fall and will continue fundraising efforts right up until the MIC to support both of these worthy causes.

Be a Part of the Co-op Strong Movement

Attendees of the 2025 MIC can join forces to create welcome baskets comprised of products donated by NISC and the NISC staff for those in the Home of the Innocents’ programs. The Dress for Success onsite activity will consist of a professional clothing closet where attendees can donate gently used business attire. During the concurrent session breaks, we invite you to gather in the Partner Pavilion to help give back through these organizations.