Leverage public interest to cultivate resources that accelerate scientific advancements for rare diseases
Mission
Inspire the Rare Disease Community with hope through the power of sport
Our Programs
Develops social influencers into leaders that make a positive impact on the rare disease community
Shares the platform of sport with the rare disease cause and raises it as a national priority
Creates special moments that enrich the lives of rare disease patients and their loved ones
Our Chapters
Active
Legacy
Fundraising Initiatives
Lift For Life
Lift For Life is the original fundraising event that
launched Uplifitng Athletes! The event was
inspired by Don Shirley's battle with a rare
cancer. Now, college football teams across the
country participate in the right-of-passage to
benefit the rare disease community!
Touchdown Pledge Drive
Touchdown Pledge Drive brings awareness and helps raise funds while capitalizing on what our students-athletes do best during our most visible time of the year, college football season.
UA Ambassadors
The UA Ambassador program empowers individual athletes to support the Rare Disease Community by raising money and awareness with their performance. Opportunities include Reps for Rare Diseases at the NFL Combine and/or Pro Day workouts, the NFL's My Cause, My Cleats campaign, and anything else you can imagine!
Team UA
We are inviting athletes from across the country to support our mission by holding a pledge-based event to raise money for Uplifting Athletes. This program is open to all sports and all levels! Simply click create your campaign below to get started and a member of our staff will reach out to you to help make it a success.
Uplifting Events & Awareness Campaigns
Uplifting News
Posted on Monday January 04, 2021
Northwestern capped off a memorable 2020 season by winning its fourth consecutive bowl game with a victory over Auburn in the Citrus Bowl. The Big Ten West champions used an offensive explosion that produced the most passing (291) and total yards (457) this season. Wildcats linebacker Paddy Fisher posted a game-high 12 tackles to become […] Continue Reading »
Posted on Monday December 21, 2020
Clemson continued its dominance of the ACC, winning its sixth consecutive outright Conference title by controlling fellow chapter school Notre Dame in the championship game. Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who improved to 34-1 as a starter, was named game MVP on the strength of his 412 total yards (322 passing, 90 rushing) and three touchdowns. […] Continue Reading »
Posted on Monday December 21, 2020
Uplifting Athletes is pleased to announce the 2020 Rare Disease Champion Team. For more than a dozen years, Uplifting Athletes has celebrated leaders in college football that have made a positive and lasting impact on the Rare Disease Community through its Rare Disease Champion initiative. The five members of the 2020 Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease […] Continue Reading »
Posted on Friday December 18, 2020
He was just 20 years old when he learned his future would be cut short by the same disease that was robbing life from his mother. Seth Rotberg carried that burden alone, until a pair of tragedies showed him the time he had left was best spent honestly and in service to others. A decade […] Continue Reading »
Posted on Thursday December 17, 2020
Each week during the college football season we will feature a player who is an officer for an Uplifting Athletes Chapter for our Beyond the Trophy series. Name: Brian O’Neill College: University of Pennsylvania Height, weight, class, position: 6-2, 240-pound, senior, linebacker High School: West Essex Regional High School in Roseland, New Jersey About Brian: […] Continue Reading »
Posted on Monday December 14, 2020
As the 2020 college football season winds down, Uplifting Athletes would like to honor the contribution of nine veteran FBS chapter leaders in service to the Rare Disease Community. Thank you to Nolan Cooney of Syracuse, Thomas Ruocchio and Dylan Autenrieth of NC State, Michael Marchese of Illinois, Will Spiers of Clemson, Jack DeFoor of […] Continue Reading »
Posted on Thursday December 10, 2020
Each week during the college football season we will feature a player who is an officer for an Uplifting Athletes Chapter for our Beyond the Trophy series. Name: Kyle Nunez College: Stony Brook Height, weight, class, position: 6-2, 340-pound, redshirt junior, offensive line High School: East Islip High School in East Islip, New York About […] Continue Reading »
Posted on Monday December 07, 2020
Penn State became the ninth program in college football to win 900 games with its road triumph over Rutgers. It was the Nittany Lions’ second win in a row in their 134th season. Running the football has been the formula for recent Penn State success offensively, as the Nittany Lions eclipsed 245-plus yards for the […] Continue Reading »
Posted on Thursday December 03, 2020
Each week during the college football season we will feature a player who is an officer for an Uplifting Athletes Chapter for our Beyond the Trophy series. Name: Jake Moertl College: Western Michigan Height, weight, class, position: 6-0, 195-pound, junior, safety High School: Palatine High School in Palatine, Illinois About Jake: The Illinois native found […] Continue Reading »
Posted on Monday November 30, 2020
Baylor snapped its five-game slide in dramatic fashion, using a 30-yard John Mayers field goal as time expired to come from behind and beat Kansas State by a point. The Bears twice overcame nine-point, fourth-quarter deficits and scored the final 10 points, including driving 57 yards in 10 plays to set up the winning kick. […] Continue Reading »
Corporate Champions
