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Uplifting Athletes is a nonprofit organization that inspires the rare disease community with hope through the power of sport. Our national network of chapters is run by current football student-athletes.

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Rare Disease Awareness

Featured Here: PSU uniforms promoting Uplifting Athletes

The Rare Disease Awareness program shares the platform of sport with the rare disease cause and raises it as a national priority.   

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Rare Disease Awareness

Rare Disease Champion

Rare Disease Champion

 

The Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion is given annually to a leader in college football who has realized his or her potential to make a positive and lasting impact on the rare disease community.

An awareness campaign powered by Uplifting Athletes, the Rare Disease Champion is determined by college football fans and the rare disease community through online voting. The award is presented to the winner at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala in Atlantic City, NJ, and celebrated at Uplifting Athletes’ Young Investigator Draft in Philadelphia, PA.

Sculpted by world-renowned artist Brian Hanlon, the Rare Disease Champion trophy is in the likeness of Mark Herzlich, the former Boston College and current New York Giants linebacker who provided the inspiration for the award after overcoming a life-threatening battle with the rare disease Ewing’s sarcoma in 2009.

Learn more here.

Rare Disease Awareness Games

Rare Disease Awareness Games

Every year during spring scrimmages and regular season games, university chapters plan numerous activities to inspire the rare disease community with hope through the power of sport. Some of our favorite examples include Uplifting Athletes branded footballs, helmet stickers, jersey patches, wristbands, and promotional videos!

 

Uplifting Athletes branded football

News

Complex rare disease has Kaci Adams searching for medical answers
Posted on Tuesday July 21, 2020
Kaci Adams isn’t a doctor, but sometimes she has to feel like one. The married 43-year-old mother of three has the rare disease Klippel-Feil Syndrome (KFS).   Klippel-Feil Syndrome is an extremely complex disease with many potential symptoms and disease paths. Finding a medical specialist or expert to advise and help with her rare struggle has […] Continue Reading »
A rare journey inside a COVID-19 world
Posted on Tuesday July 14, 2020
Spend more than five minutes with Marni Cartelli and there is no possible way to miss her passion. She proudly wears it on her sleeve. What drives her passion is a will and commitment to battle a difficult and complex rare disease that makes a day without pain nearly impossible. Marni was diagnosed with Complex […] Continue Reading »
A rare journey inside a COVID-19 world: Part 2
Posted on Tuesday July 14, 2020
The loss of hope and that feeling nobody is listening when you are screaming out for help came roaring back for Marni. It was a road she had been down before when she was originally diagnosed in 2016, and didn’t think it was a bridge she would have to cross again. “That anger and frustration […] Continue Reading »
A rare journey inside a COVID-19 world: Part 1
Posted on Tuesday July 14, 2020
Spend more than five minutes with Marni Cartelli and there is no possible way to miss her passion. She proudly wears it on her sleeve. What drives her passion is a will and commitment to battle a difficult and complex rare disease that makes a day without pain nearly impossible. Marni was diagnosed with Complex […] Continue Reading »
Justin Hopkin wears a lot of hats and makes them all fit to help serve others
Posted on Tuesday July 07, 2020
Justin Hopkin wears a lot of different hats. Doctor, father, husband, and rare disease advocate just to name a few. But, to Justin, no matter what hat he’s wearing, they all kind of look the same. That’s because Justin is committed to helping and serving others first. At the top of that list is his […] Continue Reading »
Being a rare disease advocate becomes more personal for Kathi Luis
Posted on Tuesday June 30, 2020
As the Special Projects Director at the Amyloidosis Foundation Kathi Luis is invested in the rare disease patients, families and caregivers that her nonprofit serves. She is a dedicated and committed advocate for the Rare Disease Community. The Amyloidosis Foundation, like most single rare disease patient focused organizations, is powered by a small staff. Kathi […] Continue Reading »
Why support rare now?
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 »
Inaugural 7,000 Mile Challenge to support the Rare Disease Community set for July 17-26
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 »
Uplifting Athletes cancels all annual Lift For Life events for 2020
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 »
NC State Chapter Leader Thomas Ruocchio values opportunity to come together and support a common cause
Posted on Thursday June 04, 2020
When NC State tight end Thomas Ruocchio headed to Philadelphia for his first Uplifting Athletes Leadership Development Conference in 2017, he was anticipating a weekend of business and logistics meetings. Four years later, the outgoing NC State Chapter President appreciates the weekend of connecting with other college football student-athletes bound together by the rare disease […] Continue Reading »

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@ 2020 Uplifting Athletes, Inc. •
All Rights Reserved •
Uplifting Athletes is a 501(c)3
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