My Sister’s Closet is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization established to provide free work force attire and Success Institute programming to low-income and at-risk women pursuing employment.

My Sister's Closet Store in Bloomington INFounded in 1998, My Sister’s Closet (MSC) is a non-profit organization offering its services to the clients of more than 40 local social service organizations. While most people recognize My Sister’s Closet for the professional clothing we provide to clients; the majority of our programming involves the skills of job trainers, mentors and community advocates who help women in poverty find employment.

MSC’s Guiding Principles

We believe it is a basic human right that every woman be guaranteed the same opportunities to provide for her family as her male counterparts. Driven by this core belief, we ensure a woman’s personal dignity and self-confidence by incorporating essential tools and services that play an important role in her ability to find employment. The following guiding principles and beliefs direct MSC’s initiatives and help to evaluate the success of our core programming.

  1. Every woman should have the opportunity to provide for the basic needs of herself and her family.
  2. That women experience unique challenges to success because of their physical nature and their traditional roles and responsibilities as mothers. These differences can sometimes mean they will have more difficulty moving forward to become self-sufficient, thus, need more community assistance to help them succeed.
  3. By changing the current economic success of the mother, you increase the chances of her children finding greater economic success as they get older.
  4. That women serve as the main influencers of children. This means it is vital to the success of our society, in general, that women are provided with the ability to become positive role models and mentors.
  5. Ultimately, the life happiness for all of us is determined by the millions of intimate connections we continually make when choosing our positive networks, the use of our spare time, how we nurture our bodies, and our stewardship of the environment.

My Sister's Closet - The Front RoomHow we accomplish our mission:

  • Ready-2-Work: A classroom lead, 12-week paid, job skills training program teaching transferable, 21st Century skill sets.
  • Clothing Voucher Program: Using fashion and image consulting as tools.
  • Success Institute: Offering job placement, interview and life skills training, resume construction, and job advocacy services.
  • Thrift store boutique sales: Open to the public, the sales from our boutique provide funding to 80% of our annual budget.
  • Educational workshops and training: HARNESS; What Women Auto Know; environmental teaching and stewardship through the Green Side of Pink, and other programs.