Leverage public interest to cultivate resources that accelerate scientific advancements for rare diseases
Penn
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 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 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 June 29, 2020
Nearly 30 million Americans are living with a rare disease and COVID-19 continues to present a myriad of challenges that is not only impacting the patients but their families and caregivers as well. At the top of the list is reduced access to vital medical care which, in turn, has exacerbated already existing challenges. Among […] Continue Reading »

Posted on Monday June 22, 2020
Uplifting Athletes is proud to announce the inaugural 7,000 Mile Challenge – a 10-day event starting July 17th that will bring focus and attention to the more than 7,000 known rare diseases. People affected by a rare disease are fighting against a finite clock that didn’t stop because of COVID-19. We’re letting the Rare Disease […] Continue Reading »

Posted on Wednesday June 17, 2020
COVID-19 has led to many adjustments of the college athletic schedule. The football student-athletes and programs Uplifting Athletes work with face a condensed time frame to prepare for the upcoming season under heightened safety precautions. In order to avoid any additional pressure, Uplifting Athletes made the decision to cancel all our annual Lift For Life […] Continue Reading »

Posted on Wednesday February 12, 2020
Starting this season, the focus of the Rare Disease Champion Award shifted to a team concept in order to provide a platform to recognize all the qualified leaders that have made a significant and lasting impact on the Rare Disease Community. The Rare Disease Champion Team ensures all the inspiring rare disease stories of qualified […] Continue Reading »

Posted on Tuesday January 28, 2020
The cornerstone of the Uplifting Leaders program is our network of Chapters on campuses across the country led by college football student-athletes. This past weekend, 39 leaders from 20 schools gathered in Atlanta for a high impact and fast paced weekend of learning and development during our 11th annual Uplifting Athletes Leadership Development Conference. The […] Continue Reading »

Posted on Thursday December 12, 2019
Uplifting Athletes is pleased to announce the 2019 Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Team. For 12 years, Uplifting Athletes has recognized a Rare Disease Champion. Starting in 2019, the focus of the Rare Disease Champion Award shifts from highlighting an individual leader in college football to a team concept that provides an opportunity to recognize […] Continue Reading »

Posted on Monday November 25, 2019
Princeton needed a lot of help to get a share of the 2019 Ivy League crown. All the Tigers could control in the scenario was get a victory over Penn at historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Led by 172 rushing yards from RB Collin Eaddy and a defense that blanked the Quakers over the final […] Continue Reading »

Posted on Monday November 18, 2019
Behind a breakout performance from true freshman running back Evan Hull, Northwestern won its second game of the season by rolling up 45 points against UMass. Hull, making his first start of the season, rushed for 220 yards and tied the single-game program record with four touchdowns on the ground. He became the first Wildcat […] Continue Reading »
Chapter Leadership
Current Chapter Leaders

Ben Padon
President

Brian O'Neill
Vice President