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

Fundraising Initiatives
News & Past Events

Posted on Thursday April 15, 2021
Empowering NFL prospects to use their Combine or Pro Day performance as a platform to give back and inspire the Rare Disease Community is what drives Uplifting Athletes Reps For Rare Diseases. 2021 marks the seventh consecutive year these athletes have used their platform to raise funds for Uplifting Athletes and introduce their fans, friends […] Continue Reading »

Posted on Friday February 12, 2021
Joe Spivak University: Northwestern University Vitals: 6-0, 300 pounds, senior, defensive lineman Quick Hits: 2020: A natural leader, Joe was a three-time captain in high school, becoming the first sophomore football player chosen as a captain at Esmark High School in Chicago. Joe has appeared in 36 games for the Wildcats since his true freshman […] Continue Reading »

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 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 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 »

Posted on Monday November 23, 2020
Northwestern is 5-0 overall for the first time since 2015 after knocking off No. 10 Wisconsin. The last time the Wildcats knocked off an AP Top-10 team was 2011 when it beat Nebraska. The last time Northwestern held an AP Top-10 opponent to seven or fewer points was 1967 against Miami. The Wildcats defense produced […] Continue Reading »

Posted on Monday November 16, 2020
Led by redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Williams, Illinois twice rallied from 10 points down to win its first game of the season on the road at Rutgers. Williams established a single-game rushing record with 192 yards to surpass the 187 yards AJ Bush Jr. totaled in 2018 against Nebraska. Fighting Illini kicker James McCourt’s third […] Continue Reading »

Posted on Monday November 09, 2020
For the ninth time in program history Notre Dame knocked off the No. 1 team in the country with a thrilling double overtime victory over fellow chapter school Clemson. Notre Dame extended its active win streak to 13 games, the most of any FBS school, and ended Clemson’s 36-game regular-season winning streak. Running back Kyren […] Continue Reading »
Chapter Leadership
Current Chapter Leaders

Peter Snodgrass
President

Joe Spivak
Vice President