March 12, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The 11th Annual Penn State Football Uplifting Athletes "Lift For Life" is set for Friday, July 12, with proceeds again benefiting the Kidney Cancer Association.
The popular event will begin at 5 p.m. during the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in State College. For the second consecutive year, the Penn State Lift For Life will take place at the outdoor Penn State Lacrosse field next to the Ashenfelter Multi-sport Facility.
Eric Shrive, president of Penn State's Uplifting Athletes chapter, has challenged the members of the Nittany Lion football team to raise $300,000 at this year's event, which would push the team's 11-year fundraising total past $1 million for kidney cancer awareness and assistance. Shrive will be a senior guard for the Nittany Lions this season.
Over its initial 10 years, the Penn State Lift For Life has grown tremendously. Again last year, more than 80 Nittany Lion football student-athletes tested their strength and endurance in the challenge that raised a record total for kidney cancer awareness and assistance - more than $110,000. Founded by Penn State football teammates, the Penn State Chapter of Uplifting Athletes has raised more than $700,000 for the Kidney Cancer Association since the first Penn State Lift For Life in 2003.
The Penn State Lift For Life is open to the public with a small donation suggested for all attendees to benefit the Kidney Cancer Association. Fans will have a chance to meet and get autographs from current and former members of the Penn State football team at the event.
To help the Nittany Lion Football Student-Athletes reach their goal, fans can visit the team donation page at: http://liftforlife.upliftingathletes.org/lfl2/.
Founded by Penn State Football teammates Scott Shirley, Dave Costlow and Damone Jones in 2003, Lift For Life has continued to build awareness and raise funds for the Kidney Cancer Association. The event is organized by Penn State Football Uplifting Athletes, whose members are on the Penn State football team, led this year by Shrive (Scranton), president of the chapter. Joining Shrive as Uplifting Athlete officers are: vice president - senior tackle Adam Gress (West Mifflin, Pa.); head of operations - senior center Ty Howle (Wake Forest, N.C.); secretary - sophomore cornerback Da'Quan Davis (Baltimore) and fundraising chairman - freshman tight end Adam Breneman (Camp Hill).
Earlier this month, Shrive was presented the 2013 Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Award. The honor is presented annually to recognize a leader in the world of college football who has realized his or her potential to make a positive and lasting impact on the rare disease community. With more than 7,000 rare diseases in existence, the organization impacts more than 30 million Americans. Shrive has raised $69,5000 for kidney cancer patients and research during his Penn State career.
In his first season as head coach, Bill O'Brien led Penn State to wins in eight of its final 10 games, beating eventual Big Ten champion Wisconsin on Senior Day to finish 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten. O'Brien was selected the 2012 Bear Bryant, Maxwell Football Club and ESPN National Coach of the Year and the Big Ten-Dave McClain Coach of the Year. O'Brien's eight wins were the most by a first-year Penn State coach in the 126 years of the program.
Penn State returns 16 starters and 38 letterwinners for the 2013 season. The Nittany Lions begin spring drills March 18, with the 15 practices culminating in the Blue-White Game presented by AAA on April 20 at 12:00 p.m. in Beaver Stadium.
Season tickets are available for the 2013 season. The Nittany Lions will host three teams that finished in the 2012 BCS Top 25: Michigan (Oct. 12-Homecoming), Nebraska (Nov. 23) and Kent State (Sept. 21). Purdue (Nov. 16), Illinois (Nov. 2), UCF (Sept. 14) and Eastern Michigan (Sept. 7) also will visit Beaver Stadium this fall. The Nittany Lions open the season Aug. 31 vs. Syracuse in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.GoPSUsports.com or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Penn State Athletics is on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pennstatenittanylions) and Twitter (http://www.gopsusports.com/ot/twitter.html).
About Uplifting Athletes: Uplifting Athletes is a full-service national nonprofit organization aligning college football with rare diseases and raising them as a national priority through research, outreach, education and advocacy. What makes Uplifting Athletes unique is that our university chapters are run by current football student-athletes, providing them with an opportunity to gain management and leadership skills while learning how to leverage their assets and abilities to make a positive and lasting impact. Current Chapters: Nebraska, Penn State, Ohio State, Kent State, NC State, Fordham, St. Francis, Notre Dame, Maryland, Illinois, Northwestern, Princeton and Colgate. Each chapter adopts one out of approximately 7,000 rare diseases (such as ALS, Aplastic Anemia, CMT, cystic fibrosis, Ehlers-Danlos, Ewing's Sarcoma, Kidney Cancer, Leukemia, MS, Neimann Pick Type-C, Neuroblastoma, pancreatic cancer, etc.).