Uplifting Athletes was founded in 2003 by a group of college football teammates who turned an annual weight lifting competition into a fund-raiser when a player’s father was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Since then, the effort has evolved into a nonprofit organization that leverages college football to change the perception of underserved rare diseases (such as cystic fibrosis) and raise them as a national priority.

Participation by current football student-athletes enables us to compliment what we’ve learned in the classroom and on the playing field by developing relevant job skills and mature as socially responsible citizens. Our efforts lead to engaging the public with our cause to help raise awareness and serve as a uniting force for rare diseases.

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