July 9, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State Football Uplifting Athletes today announced that a record number of teams will participate in the Sixth Annual Penn State Lift For Life® on Friday, July 11 in Holuba Hall.
Proceeds from the Penn State Lift For Life® will benefit the Kidney Cancer Association and kidney cancer patients. In its sixth year, the organization has help raise awareness for this rare disease and generated more than $230,000 to support this worthwhile cause.More than 30,000 Americans are afflicted with kidney cancer each year. Penn State Football Uplifting Athletes raised a record total of more than $80,000 for the Kidney Cancer Association during the 2006-07 academic year.
There are 24 teams, each with four members of the Nittany Lion football squad, ready to put their physical ability to the test in the grueling 11-event lifting challenge. Anticipation surrounding the competition is growing as Penn State fans plan to come out and support the 96 Nittany Lion squad members and this great cause.
TheLift For Life® event is a strength and conditioning challenge that tests the mental and physical endurance of the student-athlete. The 11 exercises range from the traditional bench and leg presses to the less conventional giant tire flip and iron cross. The event offers fans a rare chance to experience Penn State Football up-close and personal. They will have a chance to meet and get autographs from current and former Nittany Lion football players and also see elements of the workout every player must endure as part of his preparation for the team.
A listing of the teams is posted at: http://www.pennstate.upliftingathletes.org.
The lead-off team at 2:00 p.m. will be comprised of linebacker Bani Gbadyi (Gaithersburg, Md.), tailback Stephfon Green (Bronx, N.Y.), fullback Dan Lawlor (Mechanicsburg) and defensive tackle Ollie Ogbu (Staten Island, N.Y.).
Uplifting Athletes also will conduct a silent auction in conjunction with the Lift For Life® event. Items from former Nittany Lion football standouts will be available. Bidding will start at 2:00 p.m. and close at 6:00 p.m. All event attendees are welcome to participate.
Lift For Life® is open to the public. The event is $10 for adults or $5 for students or children. The competition will be held in Holuba Hall on the University Park campus and is scheduled from 2:00-7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 1:30.
Penn State Football Uplifting Athletes is a student organization run by current football student-athletes, including Brett Brackett (president), Jesse Alfreno (vice president), Patrick Mauti (secretary), Tyler Ahrenhold, Brennan Coakley, Ryan Gmerek, Kevion Latham, Josh Matzkin, Doug Rheam andAnthony Scirrotto. The organization's mission is to raise awareness and funds for rare diseases such as kidney cancer as well as to provide a professional enrichment program for the college football student-athlete.
For more information about the Penn State Lift For Life®, Penn State Football Uplifting Athletes or to make a tax-deductible contribution, please visit http://www.upliftingathletes.orgor contact Deloris Brobeck at 814-865-1946. Uplifting Athletes, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that operates as a national charter and serves as a uniting force to help change the perception of rare diseases.
--NITTANY LIONS--