June 29, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The annual "Lift for Life," the signature event of the Penn State Uplifting Athletes chapter is set for Saturday, July 16 at the Penn State Lacrosse Field from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
The 14th Annual Penn State Lift for Life will again feature the Nittany Lion offense taking on the defense in a series of competitions to benefit cancer research and the rare disease community. The popular event will be held during the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in State College and take place at the Penn State Lacrosse Field next to the Multi-Sport Facility.
The competitions will include an obstacle course, sand bag stack, sled pull and push, shuttle run and finish with a tug of war. There is a suggested donation of $10 for adults and $5 for kids to support the Penn State Chapter of Uplifting Athletes. All proceeds from the Penn State Lift for Life will benefit cancer research and the rare disease community.
The football team will also conduct a kids clinic from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and all players will be available for autographs and photos following the clinic. Cost to participate in the clinic is $15 per child. The participants also will receive a Lift for Life T-shirt. Additionally, the Penn State Police Department will have a patrol car on hand and Centre LifeLink EMS will have an ambulance for kids to explore.
More than 80 football squad members are expected participate in the Penn State Lift For Life and will be available for an autograph session immediately after the event on the Lacrosse Field. This year's Penn State Football poster will be available, while supplies last.
Fans can make a donation to the Penn State Chapter and Lift for Life by visiting the Penn State Chapter fundraising site at give.upliftingathletes.org/psulift2016 or by sending a donation to PJ Mullen, Director of Player Development and Community Relations at 201 Lasch Football Building, University Park, Pa 16802.
The Penn State Uplifting Athletes Chapter also announced defensive end Garrett Sickels will serve as president/director of operations. The 2016 Uplifting Athletes officers are: offensive lineman Ryan Bates, director of player relations for underclassmen; linebacker Jason Cabinda, co-director of player logistics; offensive lineman Tom Devenney, secretary; quarterback Trace McSorley, co-director of player logistics; and offensive lineman Andrew Nelson, treasurer. Additionally, linebacker Brandon Bell, safety Joe Berg, offensive lineman Brian Gaia, wide receiver Gregg Garrity, cornerback Grant Haley and offensive lineman Charlie Shuman will serve on the executive committee.
About Uplifting Athletes: A nonprofit organization founded in 2007, Uplifting Athletes inspires the rare disease community with hope through the power of sport. A rare disease is one that affects fewer than 200,000 Americans and typically lacks financial incentive to make and market new treatments. With a network of university chapters run by current college football student-athletes that spans all major conferences, Uplifting Athletes has had an economic impact of more than $400 million on the rare disease community. For more information about Uplifting Athletes, visit www.upliftingathletes.org.
The Uplifting Athletes Chapters are: Penn State, Arizona, Colgate, Illinois, Penn, Northern Arizona, Northwestern, Princeton, Syracuse, Baylor, Florida State, Maryland, Notre Dame, St. Francis (Pa.), Boston College, Fordham, Nebraska, Ohio State, South Carolina, Washington, Clemson, NC State, Stony Brook and Georgia Tech. 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.). Penn State opens the 2016 campaign against Kent State at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, September 3.
Season tickets for the 2016 campaign, which includes five Big Ten home games for the first time, are on sale, with nearly 3,700 new season tickets having been sold. There will not be any increase in the price of Penn State football season tickets or Nittany Lion Club donation levels for next season.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2016 season tickets, the Recent Graduate program (35 percent discount on season tickets) as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 9 a.m-4:30 p.m.