For the third year running, Dear Me Care Circle returns to honor the women who hold our families together. The caregivers, mothers, and matriarchs whose work too often goes unseen.
The brunch will take place Saturday, May 2, 2026 at The Quarry Event Center on East 75th Street. Doors open at 11:00 AM. Tickets are available through the Real Men Charities events page.
This year's honorees include Karen Freeman-Wilson, the former mayor of Gary, Indiana and current CEO of the Chicago Urban League. Joining her on the dais are six Chicago women whose caregiving has spanned generations of the South Side.
"This is not about Mother's Day cards," said Yvette Moyo, founder of Dear Me Care Circle. "This is about the women who raised three generations of this neighborhood. We are putting their names on a stage."
We mother in plural. We mother our own, our sister's, our neighbor's. We never stopped. Karen Freeman-Wilson, Honoree
The event opens with a libation ceremony led by Mama Edie Armstrong. The keynote will be delivered by Dr. Cheryl Hyde-Murphy, a community psychologist whose research on caregiver burnout has shaped policy in three states.
A silent auction will benefit the Real Women Cook program, an initiative under Real Men Charities that pairs nutrition education with kitchen-table mentorship for young mothers across the fourteen South Side communities the magazine serves.
Tickets begin at $75 for general admission, with a $150 patron level that includes priority seating and a copy of the Real Women Cook cookbook. A limited number of complimentary seats are reserved for caregivers nominated by their families. Nominations close April 25.
We are putting their names on a stage. Yvette Moyo
The Dear Me Care Circle began in 2024 as a pre-Mother's Day gathering in Yvette Moyo's living room. Sixteen women came. Last year, the brunch filled the Quarry's main hall and drew the attention of three local television stations.
The 2026 brunch will feature a tribute to caregivers lost since the last gathering. A dedicated table, set for one, will hold a single white rose for each name read aloud during the ceremony.
