Four Chaplains Memorial of York - Annual Prayer Breakfast

In February 1993, under the auspices of the York County Chamber of Commerce, we began our journey. The leadership of the Chamber believed that its membership and the York community would be inspired by a prayer breakfast to honor the legacy of the Four Chaplains and to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the sinking of the Dorchester. The Chamber’s Economics Club became the core audience, and a small committee of volunteers led by Allen Dameshek and Gordon Freireich went to work. The Chamber’s Economics Club hosted the breakfast for a number of years until the community audience became large enough to sustain it.

We honor their selfless sacrifice by recognizing local leaders who live by their values and continue their legacy by awarding former students from the Rabbi Alexander D. Goode Elementary School with scholarships that impact their future.

It has since become an annual event with hundreds of attendees, local community members selected to receive Legion of Honor Awards, thousands of dollars awarded in local scholarships, and an endowment fund in cooperation with the York County Community Foundation.