Colgate Football Uplifting Athletes Lift for Life

HAMILTON, N.Y. (7/3/08) – The Colgate Football Uplifting Athletes first annual Lift For Life event will be held on Friday, July 25 at the Sanford Field House at 6 p.m. The event will help raise funds and awareness for charities that support a rare disease.

Colgate is the first Football Championship Subdivision program to join Uplifting Athletes, Inc. Other college football programs currently involved are Penn State, Ohio State and Maryland.

The event will feature approximately 35 Colgate football student-athletes competing lifting and skills competition between the offense and defense and one-on-one competitions. Colgate football fans will have a chance to meet the players in an autograph session after the competition, in addition to winning season tickets, parking passes to games, free rounds of golf at Seven Oaks Golf Course, and other gift certificates to be raffled off from local businesses and a free T-shirt to the first 100 fans.

“This program allows the Colgate players to raise awareness of people to rare diseases,” said junior wide receiver Pat Simonds. “The Lift For Life event brings people out and meet the players they see on the field in person in order to raise money. Also, the players are looking for a way to put college football on the map in terms of a charity organization.”

“Its also a great opportunity for us as a team to have fun competing against each other and to show everyone how much we have worked this summer,” said junior linebacker Greg Hadley.

Admission to the fund-raiser is $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for children under 12 with all proceeds going to Uplifting Athletes charities.

Uplifting Athletes was started by former Penn State player Scott Shirley, who lost his father to kidney cancer. He decided to use the appeal and media attention of Penn State and college football to raise awareness for rare diseases.

“We are proud to have Colgate Football join Uplifting Athletes as the first NCAA Football Championship Subdivision program,” said Shirley. “The enthusiasm, hard work and dedication of the football student-athletes here will have a major impact on people affected by rare diseases and the experience they will gain through Uplifting Athletes will benefit them in return.”

Uplifting Athletes, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to leverage college football to change the perception of rare diseases and raise them as a national priority. University chapters are operated by current football student-athletes and raise funds and awareness for charities that support a rare disease. For more information about Uplifting Athletes or to make a tax-deductible contribution, please visit www.upliftingathletes.org.

1. Professional Development

2. Public Engagement

3. Societal Benefit