Chamber to honor Mary Kou Tuohey with ‘Community Service Award’

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 9 October 2023 at 8:43 am

Case-Nic Cookies owner backs many agencies and causes

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Mary Kou Tuohey started Case-Nic Cookies in 1995 and has supported many local fundraisers with the business. She will receive a Community Service Award from the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 19.

MEDINA – The announcement she would be receiving a Community Service Award from the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce is a surprise and an honor, said Mary Lou Tuohey.

The owner of Case-Nic Cookies at 439 Main St., Tuohey said serving her community is just what she does.

Tuohey was a registered nurse when she decided to change careers.

“I had always wanted to own a cookie shop,” she said. “I tried to get into Lockport Mall, but they refused me. I thought about going back to school to become a doctor’s assistant, but with two young kids, that wasn’t an option.”

She figured with her own store, the kids wouldn’t have to go to a baby sitter, and on Feb. 11, 1995, she opened her bakery.

“It was just me and my family,” she said.

Three days later was Valentine’s Day and with her nephew behind the counter they opened the door.

“It was horrifying,” she said. “People filled the sidewalk outside the door. I only had one regular oven and offered four kinds of cookies. I couldn’t bake fast enough.”

She went home that night and thought, “I think I’ve made a big mistake.”

Her first store was down the street and when the store at 439 Main St. became vacant, she moved there.

Her business continued to grow. She added more varieties of cookies, including cutouts, cupcakes and brownies.

She had named the store after her and husband David’s two children, Casey and Nicole. Nicole was born with Triple X Syndrome and has received tremendous support from The Arc. So naturally, The Arc was one of the causes Tuohey started to support.

Both of her parents died of Alzheimers, so that also has become a favorite charity. Every year, Nicole makes links out of construction paper and Tuohey sells them in the cookie shop, with all the money going to the Alzheimer’s Association. She annually is a leader in organizing the Walk for Alzheimer’s. Nicole also makes bracelets and Mary Lou makes cutout cookies, all of which are sold for $1 to benefit their charities.

Tuohey used to sponsor a basket raffle every year, but when Covid hit in March 2020, she couldn’t do a traditional event. So she devised a system where she numbered the baskets and printed them out on a sheet of paper. That was placed in an envelope and put inside a bucket outside her door when the store was closed. Supporters could choose what baskets they wanted and write the number of tickets they wanted placed in each basket. Then they put their money in the envelope with the sheet and drop it in the mail slot.

That became the norm for non-profits’ basket raffles. Tuohey has given up the window in her store and allows any non-profit to use it for their raffle for a month.

She generously donates to benefits when she is asked, providing a basket for their raffle or a gift certificate.

“I ask people for donations for The Arc and the Alzheimer’s Association, and those who ask me for donations are struggling, so if I can help them, I do.”