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Mission:
Harness the power of sport to build a community that invests in the lives of people impacted by rare diseases.


Vision:
No person impacted by a rare disease feels alone and everyone is inspired with hope for the future.

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Fordham

Chapter Established in 2011
Life Time Total $22,060.03

Uplifting Athletes Mission

Harness the power of sport to build a community that invests in the lives of people impacted by rare diseases.

Fordham

Chapter Leadership

Current Chapter Leaders

Ryan Joyce
President
Ryan Joyce
President

Ryan Joyce became a chapter leader at Fordham in 2021. He serves as the President of the Fordham Chapter and was part of the leadership team that helped oversee the Rams Lift For Life last summer. Ryan attended the Leadership Development Conference in 2021 and 2022 and was also part of the Young Investigator Draft celebration in February. Ryan is making sure the Rams football program is using their platform as college football student athletes to serve and inspire hope in the Rare Disease Community.

The 6-foot-5 offensive lineman started three games at right guard as a freshman in 2019 before an injury forced him to the sidelines for the rest of the season. Ryan was a starter during the pandemic season of 2020 in limited action. And last year he was the Ramsโ€™ starting right guard all 11 games.

Lucas Portes
Vice President
Lucas Portes
Vice President

Lucas Portes became a chapter leader at Fordham in 2021. He serves as the Vice President of the Fordham Chapter and was part of the leadership team that helped oversee the Rams Lift For Life last summer. Lucas attended the Leadership Development Conference in 2021 and 2022 and was also part of the Young Investigator Draft celebration in February. Lucas is making sure the Rams football program is using their platform as college football student athletes to serve and inspire hope in the Rare Disease Community.

The Maryland native came in as a freshman in 2019 and earned a starting spot at left guard for all 12 games. Lucas, who stands 6-foot-5, is now an anchor up front for the Rams after starting all 11 games in 2021 at guard.

Uplifting Athletes Programs

Rare Disease Research

Leverage public interest to cultivate resources that accelerate scientific advancements for rare diseases

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Uplifting Leaders

Develops social influencers into leaders that make a positiveย impact on the rare disease community

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Uplifting Leaders
Rare Disease Awareness

Shares the platform of sport with the rare disease cause and raises it as a national priority

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Uplifting Experiences

Creates special moments that enrich the lives of rare disease patients and their loved ones

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Uplifting Experiences

Fundraising Initiatives

Fordham Touchdown Pledge Drive 2019
$210.00 Amount Raised
Campaigns
View Results
Fordham Lift For Life 2018
$2,499.00 Amount Raised
3 Campaigns
View Results
Fordham Football Lift For Life 2022
$1,922.00 Amount Raised
2 Campaigns
View Results

News & Past Events

#WeTackleRare

Wed, 02/08/2023 - 14:00
@ UpliftingAth
Thank you to everyone who helped make the ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฏ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ๐—ก๐—š ๐—œ๐—ก๐—ฉ๐—˜๐—ฆ๐—ง๐—œ๐—š๐—”๐—ง๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐——๐—ฅ๐—”๐—™๐—ง a truly memorable one! #WeTackleRare
Sat, 02/04/2023 - 19:44
@ UpliftingAth
RT @CameronLynch50: ๐ŸŽค Emcee for the @UpliftingAth #YoungInvestigatorDraft to raise awareness and celebrate for rare disease research ๐Ÿ”ฌ! Tunโ€ฆ
Sat, 02/04/2023 - 19:43
@ UpliftingAth
Elevating, celebrating, and funding game-changing researchers #YID23 #WeTackleRare
Sat, 02/04/2023 - 18:16
@ UpliftingAth
๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฏ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ๐—ก๐—š ๐—œ๐—ก๐—ฉ๐—˜๐—ฆ๐—ง๐—œ๐—š๐—”๐—ง๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐——๐—ฅ๐—”๐—™๐—ง Almost showtime here in Philadelphia! The draft is set to begin at 7:00pm LIVESTRโ€ฆ
Sat, 02/04/2023 - 17:37
@ UpliftingAth
Itโ€™s game time! The 2023 Young Investigator Draft is happening now. #WeTackleRare #YID23
Sat, 02/04/2023 - 17:08
@ UpliftingAth
Thank you to our 2023 Young Investigator Draft Sponsors! Weโ€™re beyond grateful for your support and commitment to oโ€ฆ
Tue, 01/10/2023 - 15:54
@ UpliftingAth
๐๐„๐–๐’: 10 Emerging Scientists Score Research Grants Totaling $200,000 Elite athletes and scientists will stand shouโ€ฆ
Tue, 01/10/2023 - 15:25
@ UpliftingAth
@PennMedNews @PennMedicine Thank you for sharing our news and congratulations to Dr. Sande, Dr. Mumau, and Dr. Felix! #WeTackleRare
Tue, 01/10/2023 - 15:23
@ UpliftingAth
@RarePOV @GRIN2Bsyndrome @TeamTelomereInc @CureCastleman @curestxbp1 @CureHIBM Thank you for sharing our news today @RarePOV! #WeTackleRare
Mon, 01/09/2023 - 10:58
@ UpliftingAth
@UMSOMPostdocs Thank you for helping promote this awesome event! #WeTackleRare For those interested in attending tโ€ฆ
Fri, 01/06/2023 - 17:40
@ UpliftingAth
This week, we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Orphan Drug Act and the progress it has made for developiโ€ฆ
Wed, 01/04/2023 - 14:24
@ UpliftingAth
๐‘ฌ๐’‚๐’“๐’๐’š ๐‘ฉ๐’Š๐’“๐’… ๐‘ท๐’“๐’Š๐’„๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐‘ฌ๐’™๐’‘๐’Š๐’“๐’†๐’” ๐‘ป๐’๐’…๐’‚๐’š Save up to 35% for the '23 Young Investigator Draft! Join us for a night which honโ€ฆ
Tue, 01/03/2023 - 15:06
@ UpliftingAth
@BuffaloBills Our thoughts are with the @HamlinIsland family and @BuffaloBills. ๐Ÿ’™
Fri, 12/30/2022 - 18:02
@ UpliftingAth
Uplifting Experiences put our mission into motion. In November, @RileyTDixon92 and the @RamsNFL welcomed a couple oโ€ฆ
Thu, 12/29/2022 - 13:14
@ UpliftingAth
@JDBertrand1 @Allstate @WeAreAFCA @dosomething @NDFootball Congratulations @JDBertrand1! We're proud to have you onโ€ฆ
Tue, 12/27/2022 - 16:12
@ UpliftingAth
๐—จ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ณ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜† Matthew Breeggemann is combining his experience as a rare kidney patient and his expertise as a kidโ€ฆ
Tue, 12/20/2022 - 15:26
@ UpliftingAth
This year we've expanded our programs and grown our community to support people impacted by #RareDiseases in astronโ€ฆ
Fri, 12/16/2022 - 10:12
@ UpliftingAth
@NaomiDirckx Thank you!

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    • Reps For Rare Diseases
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    • Touchdown Pledge Drive
    • UA Ambassadors

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