All Star Salute Kicks-Off Super Bowl Week in San Diego by Raising $475,000 for the National MS Society; Nine Legends in San Diego's Sports History Honored.

News/Assignment Editors

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2003

The San Diego Super Bowl XXXVII Host Committee and National Multiple Sclerosis Society, San Diego Area Chapter, today announced that the All Star Salute to San Diego last Saturday night raised close to $475,000 for the local chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The gala was held at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina. It kicked-off Super Bowl week in San Diego with a live performance by Jay Leno, a special appearance by Junior Seau of the San Diego Chargers, and was emceed by Joe Lizura and Jim Laslavic from NBC 7/39. San Diego County Credit Union was the title sponsor. Other sponsors included NBC 7/39, San Diego Magazine, Foley:Lardner, Red Door Interactive and Clearpoint Agency.

Nine individuals were honored as legends in San Diego's sports and Super Bowl history. Honorees included -- Bob Breitbard, San Diego Sports Museum and Hall of Champions; James Brown, Marvin K. Brown Auto Centers; Malin Burnham, Burnham Real Estate Services; Ron Fowler, Liquid Investments; Herb Klein, San Diego Union-Tribune; Leon Parma, Parma Management Co. Inc.; Bob Payne, Multi-Ventures Inc.; Alex Spanos, San Diego Chargers; and Dean Spanos, San Diego Chargers.

Allan Shaw, president and CEO of the National MS Society, San Diego Area Chapter, said, "The event was a success because of the support from so many extraordinary individuals and organizations in San Diego. Ron Fowler, chairman of the Super Bowl Host Committee, should be commended for his leadership. And we could not have raised the amount of money we did without the generous support of our title sponsor, San Diego County Credit Union, and the media exposure provided by NBC 7/39. These funds will go a long way in our fight to end the devastating effects of MS in San Diego."

The money raised will enable the San Diego Chapter to add a fourth SDG&E aqua therapy program for people with MS, and provide additional transportation for people with MS.

Funds were raised through sponsorships, ticket sales and a live auction that featured Super Bowl XXXVII tickets, trips with airfare and an autographed Lego mosaic of Jay Leno made by LEGOLAND California Master Builders out of 5,500 LEGO bricks.

The San Diego Super Bowl Host Committee is a private, not-for-profit corporation that serves as a liaison between local efforts and the NFL. The Committee's offices are located at 2919 Camino del Rio South in Mission Valley.

The San Diego Area Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's mission is to end the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis; it offers programs and services designed to educate and improve the quality of life for those affected by MS. The Chapter serves people with MS, their families and healthcare professionals in San Diego and Imperial counties.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is the only national voluntary MS organization that meets the standards of all major agencies that rate the fiscal responsibility of non-profit groups.

Note to Editors: Sidebar information:

-- MS is a progressive disease that randomly attacks the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), wearing away control over the body, gradually robbing it of strength, mobility and endurance.

-- MS can cause blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, stiffness, weakness, extreme fatigue, and even paralysis or blindness; hot weather can aggravate symptoms.

-- MS symptoms may disappear, return unpredictably, or result in permanent disabilities; initially, MS may be hard to diagnose.

-- MS attacks otherwise healthy adults or young adults in the prime of their lives, between the ages of 15 and 50, who may experience some baffling and scary symptoms.

-- Case studies are available, as well as information on national celebrities who suffer from MS.