Pro Player Foundation to Host 2025 rEECh + Flavors of Austin
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
PRO PLAYER FOUNDATION TO HOST rEECh PANEL 2025 + FLAVORS OF AUSTIN IN AUSTIN, TEXAS TO SPREAD MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS OUTREACH, AWARENESS, AND ENGAGEMENT.
Pro Player Foundation is returning to Austin, Texas for its 2025 rEECh Collaborative Panel Series + signature Flavors of Austin event.
PPF MS Ambassador and bestselling author Tyler Campbell will host the 9th annual rEECh panel at the Fairmont Austin, with panelists Dr. Alejandro Cruz and Dr. Erica Rivas. The Collaborative Panel is aimed to increase awareness, outreach, and engagement around Multiple Sclerosis. The rEECh Collaborative Panel will begin at 5:00 p.m. CST. Tyler, Dr. Alejandro Cruz, the Director of the MS center at DHR health neurology institute and the neurology director, Dr. Erica Rivas, the founder and medical director of the Multiple Sclerosis and Neurology Institute of Austin. and Multiple Sclerosis Certified Nurse Practitioner Magdelene Rodriguez. The panelists will discuss the ongoing Create Your MS Gameplan campaign and share stories regarding their own journeys around the disease while furthering the discussion about treatment and resource finding. Pro Football Hall of Famers Randall McDaniel and Calvin Johnson, lending their support to the Pro Player Foundation cause. Pro Player Foundation will also welcome several former University of Texas greats, including Fozzy Whittaker, Rod Babers and DeMarvion Overshown, as well as current University of Texas players Jack Bouwmeester and more.
The first stop in the 2025 tour will be in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, April 26 at the Fairmont Austin in Downtown Austin, Texas and will be followed by a trip to Phoenix, Arizona on October 9, 2025. Pro Player Foundation salutes its Platinum Sponsor Genentech, Heisman sponsor Biogen, Orange Zone sponsor Novartis, All-Star sponsors ANI Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Jacqueline Dupont-Carlson and Marc Carlson and TG Therapeutics, and Tyler Rose Sponsors, Bristol Myers Squibb, the McCombs Foundation, Mitchell & Ness, ResorTime, the Tennessee Titans, and 1011i.com.
WHO & WHAT:
The Pro Player Foundation will host an in-person and live-streamed #rEECh Collaborative Panel in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Pro Player Foundation Ambassador and inspirational speaker Tyler Campbell will emcee his ninth rEECh Collaborative Panel, designed to continue spreading knowledge through the Create Your MS Gameplan campaign and target underrepresented communities affected by Multiple Sclerosis. The 2025 Texas Panel will include the renowned doctors Dr. Alejandro Cruz and Dr. Erica Rivas, and Certified Nurse Practitioner Magdelene Rodriguez. Dr. Cruz, a board-certified neurologist with specialized fellowship training in neuroimmunology and MS, completed advanced training at institutions including LSU and The University of Texas at Austin, where he also served in leadership and faculty roles. Currently, Dr. Cruz is the Director of the MS Center at DHR Health Neurology Institute, a clinical researcher, and an active member of multiple national and international organizations dedicated to multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology. Dr. Rivas is a distinguished neurologist based in Austin, Texas, specializing in multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders. She is the founder and medical director of the Multiple Sclerosis and Neurology Institute of Austin (MSNIA), a clinic renowned for its advanced care and innovative treatments in neurology. Dr. Rivas completed a prestigious fellowship in MS and neuroimmunology at the University of Southern California, completed her residency in neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and attended the medical school at Universidad Central Del Caribe School of Medicine. Magdelene Rodriguez, a Certified Nurse Practitioner, got her Masters from Walden University with a focus in psychiatry and neurology.
Following the Panel, Pro Player Foundation’s signature event Flavors of Austin will commence at the Fairmont Austin in the Palm Park Ballroom, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Guests will indulge in some of Austin’s finest Tasting Stations presented by 3 Small Plates, Amy's Ice Creams, Bravo Company BBQ, Chef Cibelli, Chef Gil & Co., Cinful Sweets, Dusk 2 Dawn Catering, Fleming's, Mabuhay Austin, Plated Life, Ranch 616, Sinsational Cakes, Terry Black's BBQ, The University of Texas Club, Whitfield's BBQ, and Yummi Joy.
WHERE:
Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. CST
Hosted in the Palm Park Ballroom at the Fairmont Austin Hotel in the heart of downtown.
Viewers can join in on the discussion by visiting Earl Campbell’s Facebook Page at facebook.com/thetylerrose, the Pro Player Foundation website at proplayerfoundation.org/eec-panel or Twitch on twitch.tv/mssociety.
Instagram: @proplayerfoundation
Twitter: @ProPlays
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProPlayerFoundation
WHY:
Nearly one million individuals are living with MS in the United States. Pro Player Foundation has determined there is a gap in educating and creating awareness about Multiple Sclerosis (MS) specifically in underrepresented communities. In response, we created and developed the Educate.Elevate.Collaborate. Initiative to do our part to close this gap. Our Educate.Elevate.Collaborate. Initiative addresses disparities we see in outreach to minority and underrepresented patients and the MS community as a whole. EEC is a multi-faceted Initiative that includes in-person and livestreamed Collaborative rEECh on the Road Panels, a Fotonovela detailing Tyler Campbell’s life around his Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis and social media campaigns, “Did You Know?” and “Create Your MS Gameplan.”
Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. PPF MS Ambassador, Tyler Campbell was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2007 while playing football at San Diego State University, Tyler Campbell refuses to let the disease stop him from moving forward. A successful businessman, husband and father, Tyler views his diagnosis as a blessing, stating, “I now have the opportunity to share my experience to help others living with this disease and make an impact on the MS community.” Tyler hosts a radio show which airs weekly on ESPN (@1027ESPN) called “Real Lyfe, Reel Talk” and penned The Ball Came Out, Life from the Other Side of the Field which is available on Amazon.com. The Pro Player Foundation team is dedicated to defeating Multiple Sclerosis and providing hope to people diagnosed with MS and those who love and care for them.
As Pro Player Foundation celebrates its 20th anniversary of community service, the rEECh on the Road Panel Series has become a vital tool in connecting the foundation’s mission to underrepresented areas. The foundation strives to meet the needs of underserved communities through a variety of campaigns, special events, and projects. Over the years, Pro Player Foundation has launched numerous events, including the Great Australian BBQ and Night Golf Tournament, Holiday Kicks for Kids, 12’s Day of XMAS, Flavors of the Gaslamp, Flavors of Austin, Flavors of New England, the Lights On Bowl, Lights On Comedy Jam, JBowl, A Pro Play MS Day, BBQ & Boots, and the current Educate.Elevate.Collaborate. Initiative. The Foundation has also supported a wide range of organizations, including the Alpha Project for the Homeless, National MS Society, Can Do MS, Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, Illumination Foundation, Fundación de Esclerosis Múltiple de Puerto Rico, the Jammer Family Foundation, San Pasqual Academy for Foster Children, Rady Children’s Hospital, the Salvation Army, Teen Adolescent Placement Services, American Cancer Society, Parent Project for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research, LT’s Changing Lives Foundation, the Ecumenical Partnership for Housing, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Through partnerships with athletes, Pro Player Foundation aims to address various philanthropic and community needs, believing in the power of unity and collaboration to achieve meaningful impact.