Answer ALS Co-Hosts Game Changer Gala During Super Bowl Week in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, La. [February 2025]: Answer ALS co-hosted the Game Changer Gala with Team Gleason during Super Bowl LIX week, bringing together leaders from sports, technology, research, philanthropy, and the arts to raise support for ALS research and patient empowerment. The Gala took place at the Mardi Gras World Float Den Annex and celebrated the city’s culture alongside the urgency of the mission to change outcomes for people living with ALS.

The evening opened with a reception among the parade floats, followed by a seated dinner, live auction, and concert program. Guests arrived in black tie optional attire and were welcomed into a production designed to spotlight teamwork, ingenuity, and momentum across the ALS community. Program segments moved at a lively pace, blending personal stories with clear commitments to action.

Keegan-Michael Key served as master of ceremonies. Presenters and special guests included Jude Law, Sean Payton, Drew Brees, Gayle Benson, Arthur Blank, Thomas Morstead, and Jen Hale, who helped frame the night’s stories between segments. Musical performances by Lauren Daigle and John Driskell Hopkins of the Zac Brown Band, as well as St. Paul and the Broken Bones, the East Pointers, Tonya Boyd Cannon, and the Coven,  brought the room together around a shared goal: accelerate solutions today while advancing the science that changes tomorrow. The setting, the music, and the crowd created a sense of common purpose that carried through the entire program.

Steve Gleason addressed the audience using assistive technology and made a clear case for the power of creativity and collaboration in the face of ALS. His remarks centered on practical progress and collective action, reminding everyone that innovation must meet people where they are and move quickly to make a difference in daily life. He also highlighted how community support fuels the work that turns ideas into tools, services, and research breakthroughs.

Answer ALS extends sincere appreciation to the many partners, vendors, volunteers, and attendees who made another Game Changer Gala possible. We are grateful to our co-host Team Gleason, to the Game Changer honorees, and to the advocates who change the game every day across clinics, labs, companies, and homes. Their time, talent, and generosity helped create an event that honored real progress and pointed to the road ahead.

The Game Changer Gala was made possible through generous support from a wide coalition of sponsors and community partners, including Gates Ventures, the NFL, American Airlines, the Alzheimer’s Disease Data Initiative, the Ohio State Neuroscience Institute, Microsoft, Ochsner Health, the New Orleans Saints, the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins, Mardi Gras World, The Jenkins Family, and others. Their commitment helped produce an inclusive, high-quality program, expanded access for the ALS community, and brought together advocates, innovators, and families from across the country. This level of partnership strengthens the work to advance assistive technology, accelerate research with large-scale data resources, and build collaborations that turn ideas into work that matters.

Event details and photos are available at the Game Changer Gala website: gamechangergala.com.

For media inquiries, please contact info@answerals.org.