San Diego CA— The National Multiple Sclerosis Society will be the charity recipient of proceeds from the 8th annual Flavors of the Gaslamp, a walk-around, food-and-beverage tasting event organized by the Pro Player Foundation, held from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Saturday, June 13, at the Marriott Marquis & Marina, 333 West Harbor Dr., Downtown San Diego. The charity fundraiser is open to the public. Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) is the title sponsor.
Guests can get autographs, take photographs and mingle with several current and former National Football League (NFL) players and coaches, as well as bid on silent and live auction items and enjoy tastings at about 17 food stations hosted by local restaurants and food-and-beverage purveyors.
Cost to attend is $250 per person. About 300 people are expected to attend. Tickets are available at www.proplayerfoundation.org/event/flavors-gaslamp.
The three guest hosts for this year’s event include: Eric Allen, San Diego native and ESPN analyst; Tyler Campbell, son of NFL Hall of Famer Earl Campbell; John Pagano, defensive coordinator, San Diego Chargers. Tyler Campbell was diagnosed with MS while attending San Diego State University in 2006 and 2007, but kept his diagnosis a secret while continuing to play football during his senior year.
Additional participants from the Pro Player Foundation are expected to include Earl Campbell, Lorenzo Neal, Randall McDaniel, Hank Bauer, David Binn, Vincent Brown, Tim Dwight, Quentin Jammer, Jacques Cesaire, Luis Castillo, Mat McBriar, Antonio Garay, Michael Husted, Nick Folk, Mike Goff, La’Roi Glover, Steve Gregory, Legedu Naanee, Kendall Reyes, Cam Thomas and LaDanian Tomlinson. The Pro Player Foundation, founded by former Charger punter Darren Bennett, partners with athletes to support philanthropic and community needs.
Among the participating restaurants and food-and-beverage purveyors at this year’s Flavors of the Gaslamp: Asti Ristorante, Bernini’s Bistro, Bice, Davina’s Cabo Grill, Lucky Liu’s, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, Felix’s BBQ, Jax Coco, Marina Kitchen, Morton’s Steakhouse, ONEHOPE Wine, Po Pazzo, Royal India, Rama, Saltbox, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Sushi Lounge on Market.
Auction items are expected to include vacation trips, golf outings, resort and spa packages and specialty sports memorabilia items, such as autographed footballs and helmets.
Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. MS, the most common neurological disease leading to disability in young a affects more than 2.3 million worldwide. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis, as well as blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue and cognitive deficits. These symptoms might be permanent, or they might come and go. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 children under the age of 18 also live with MS. Two to three times more women than men are diagnosed with the disease. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s San Diego-based Pacific South Coast Chapter serves more than 51,500 people affected by MS living in San Diego, Orange and Imperial counties, as well as the Hawaiian islands. To join the movement, visit www.MSpacific.org.