PEORIA – Senior women will be at the center of a free Mother’s Day brunch organized by Illinois state Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth on Sunday, May 3.
Gordon-Booth said the aim of the event is to “uplift and love on” senior women while also connecting them with benefits and resources. This is the third year she has hosted the brunch.
She cherishes the opportunity to uplift and connect with older women in the community. She said such women hold “so much wisdom” and have charted a path for newer generations – with many having fought for the opportunities women have today.
“I know how much women sacrifice of themselves for their family, for their job, for their community, for their church,” she said, “and often times put themselves third, fourth, at best, on the list.”
Her own mother – who passed away nearly 17 years back – often put others ahead of herself, Gordon-Booth said, and was “such a giving person.”
“It’s great to give, and I do believe that God wired us to in that way,” Gordon-Booth said. “But I also think it’s important for women to be a little selfish with themselves and to love on yourself and to take breaks and to practice self-care.”
Senior women – along with any loved ones joining them – will have the opportunity to do just that at the Mother’s Day Senior Brunch.
Hosted at The Gateway by Childers at 200 NE Water St. in Peoria, the May 3 event will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Local brand Childers Eatery will handle catering. Gordon-Booth said attendees can expect to find Belgian waffles, fried chicken, hearty salad and other items.
“It’s a great little combination of both, you know, a couple breakfast staples as well as some hearty lunch staples to keep people held over,” she said.
Following the meal, a game of bingo will offer attendees the chance to win baskets stocked with self-care items. Gordon-Booth said she works to incorporate “small doses of luxury” like perfume, bath salts or silk pajamas into the baskets.
Then, she said attendees will have the opportunity to get up and dance.
Gordon-Booth also expects to have someone from the treasurer’s office and other agencies focused on senior services on hand, “so that while our seniors are there, you know, enjoying themselves, getting loved on, that they’ll also have the ability to access some state services that they may be in need of as well.”
Those interested in attending can email repjgordon@gmail.com or call (309) 681-1992.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Free Mother’s Day brunch event to be held for senior women in Peoria
Reporting by Cassidy Waigand, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
