Feb. 24, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., - The Penn State Football chapter of Uplifting Athletes announced today that Penn State will be part of a six school charity video game challenge on Sunday, Feb. 28. Student-athletes from Penn State will be joining their peers from Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia in this unique, fun-to-watch intercollegiate competition.
Fans will have a unique opportunity to watch eight Nittany Lions compete against each other in a popular college football video game while supporting an important cause. The video challenge will determine the Nittany Lion who will represent Penn State against the other schools' champions in EA Sports NCAA Football 10 on XBOX 360. Teams will go head-to-head via XBOX Live and utilize social media tools like Skype and Twitter so that players and fans can interact with each other in their quest for the Uplifting Athletes Championship Belt.
All chapter proceeds from the event will benefit the rare disease community. This event is being held in part of a worldwide effort to help raise awareness and call attention to the public health issues for those affected by rare diseases.
The charity Video Game Challenge will be held from 3:00-6:00 p.m. at Damon's Grille, 1031 East College Avenue in State College. A limited number of tickets will be made available for fans. Advance purchase ticket prices are $5 and may be purchased in advance at www.upliftingathletes.org/vgc. Tickets purchased at the door are $10 and all tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
The event will be held following the Nittany Lion Basketball game vs. Northwestern, which tips at 12:00 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State also is hosting the Big Ten Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend, with Sunday's finals set for 12:00-3:30 p.m. at the Ashenfelter Multi-Sport Facility, next to the Jordan Center, and less than one mile from Damon's.
The Penn State Football chapter of Uplifting Athletes has raised nearly $400,000 over the past seven years for the Kidney Cancer Association through its annual events, including the Penn State Lift for Life in July.
About Uplifting Athletes: Uplifting Athletes was founded as the "Lift For Life" event by college football student-athletes in response to a player's experience with a rare disease. It has grown into a full service nonprofit organization whose mission is to align college football with rare diseases and raise them as a national priority. Multiple university chapters are operated by current football student-athletes on different campuses to benefit a rare disease relevant to their team.
For more information, contact: Scott Shirley, Executive Director, scott.shirley@upliftingathletes.org or 814-360-4672.