The Mayoral Prayer Breakfast is an event held each year in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer (1st Thursday in May). The Mayoral Prayer Breakfast Committee, a group of Christian ministers, businessmen, and military person, meet regularly throughout the year to plan this event and pray for our leaders. They also work together with numerous local sponsors to host the event during which prayers are offered for our communities’ leader and those in authority as well as for our state, our nation, and the world.

This annual event includes breakfast, a time of prayer for our community leaders, and a keynote speaker who shares how they have overcome hardship and how prayer is important to their life.

The Mayoral Prayer Breakfast is funded solely by donations and no taxpayer dollars are utilized to support this event.

We’d like to give a special thank you to all our sponsors for this event including: Festival Foods, Living Word Christian Church, SEE Music, Inc., The BLU Group, Brenengen Chevrolet, Inc., Calvary Apostolic Church, Diocese of La Crosse, Gunderson Health System, Magnum Radio, Inc., Mayo Clinic Health System, On Point Speech & Language Services, Barge Chiropractic Clinic, La Crosse Loggers Baseball, La Crosse Area Law Enforcement, Chaplaincy, Inc., First Church of Christ, La Crosse Christian Church, and Rev. & Mrs. Leon Franck. See the full list & sponsorship levels here.

Mr. Dave SkogenSpecial Guest Speaker: Mr. Dave Skogen

The 2018 Mayoral Prayer Breakfast Guest Speaker is Mr. Dave Skogen. Growing up, Dave was an athlete and had visions of one day being a coach. Today, he coaches and teaches in a supermarket instead of an athletic field. He has been in the grocery business for over six decades – the first Festival Foods store opened in 1990. The Skogen family currently operates 30+ Festival Foods stores and has over 5,000 employees throughout Wisconsin.

Dave was previously named ‘Wisconsin Grocer of the Year’ and ‘National IGA Retailer of the Year’. Dave and his wife, Barb, were named ‘Outstanding Philanthropists’ in 2007 for their community involvement, awarded by the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Upper Mississippi Valley Chapter. They also received the 2017 People of the Year award from the La Crosse Tribune for their impact in the Coulee Region, especially their recent development of downtown Onalaska, along with their initiative to provide local schools with a whole-child servant leadership curriculum, CharacterStrong, which has now been adopted by over 20 local schools.

In 2013, Dave wrote a book called Boomerang! Leadership Principles that Bring the Customer Back, which is sold online, and at all Festival Foods locations.

Dave and Barb have been married for over 50 years. They have two children – Mark, who is the President and CEO of Festival Foods, and Sue. They are the grandparents of four lovely grandchildren.

2018 Keynote Speech by Mr. Dave Skogen