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AUSTIN, Texas – Getting some of the best NFL players on the field at the same time is usually referred to as the Pro Bowl. But that wasn’t why some of the top guys in the league were in Austin recently. Greats like Deshaun Watson, Kyle Pitts, Jalen Ramsey, Isaiah Simmons and Justin Fields, to name a few, were all together for a week, exercising, having fun and giving back.
“It’s rare to find that much talent in one place,” said Alex Okafor, NFL defensive lineman.
Most of the participating players will be linked by their agent David Mulugheta and their coach Jeremy Hills. They created this annual event to get this group together in the summer before they leave for training camp. They spent their mornings working out at Hills’ collective gym and then on the Del Valle turf field.
“Talking about the ball, talking about life, talking about business, all sorts of things. It was a good experience, ”said NFL safety expert Kenny Vaccarro.
The week ended with a children’s camp in Pfield in Pflugerville. A large gathering of teenagers needed to come out and learn from the best guys in the game. The proceeds from this camp helped some local causes.
“When everyone heard what this was for, they were all on board. The guys changed their schedules just to be here, ”said Hills. “It speaks for the family mentality that we have built around this place.”
One of the main sponsors of the week was the foundation created by one of the participants, Alex Okafor. Okafor lost his mother Sonia Alexander-Okafor to acute myeloid leukemia in May 2020. She was just 59 years old.
“She was everything to us and not a day goes by that I don’t think about her,” said Okafor
To honor their legacy, the Alex Okafor Family Foundation was established. Its mission is to provide scholarships to college blood cancer survivors.
“I know how my life and my family’s life has been affected, so I can’t imagine all children suffering from AML,” said Okafor. “So I just feel for them, through this pain and through this trauma. I try to build this foundation on that. “
This foundation received a big boost last weekend with a $ 20,000 donation thanks to the Pro Stars soccer camp that was held.
“Just having the support of all these guys who are flying into town, attending the camp and collecting this money just shows what a family we are,” said Okafor.
“I think he feels he owes it to his mother, that’s what she wanted,” said Kenny Vaccarro, a former team-mate and longtime friend of Okafor. “I think he wants to carry on that legacy. It’s something special and I will always be there for him. “
The foundation is still in its early stages and Okafor hopes to build it over the years and continue the lessons he learned from his mother.
“I am blessed to be where I am, blessed that she taught me the values that she did to me,” said Okafor. “From that moment on, all I do is remember her, dedicate myself to her, and live life the way it is right for her.”
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