Penn State's Lift For Life Celebrates 20th Anniversary

The player-run fundraiser, which began at Penn State in 2003, has raised more than $1.4 million for rare-disease research.

Mark Wogenrich

In 2003, three Penn State football players organized a summer weightlifting competition to benefit a player's father and raise awareness of kidney cancer. From that modest launch, Penn State's Lift For Life has grown into a nationwide organization that champions those confronting rare diseases. Penn State's Lift For Life celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2023 with the latest edition of its popular, player-operated fundraiser.

Penn State Lift For Life is scheduled for June 22 at the football team's Holuba Hall. The event, which begins at 4 p.m., is scheduled to feature more than 80 Nittany Lions competing in strength events, engaging with fans and operating a youth clinic. As always, Lift For Life is open to the public. The suggested donation is $10 for adults and $5 for children. The youth clinic will run from 4:30-5:30, and a waiver is required for all participants.

Lift For Life traces its roots to the 2003 Penn State football team, for which Scott Shirley played wide receiver. Shirley's father Don had been diagnosed the previous year with kidney cancer, and his teammates wanted to help. Shirley, Dave Costlow and Damone Jones organized the first Life For Life, a weightlifting competition at Holuba Hall that raised about $15,000. Shirley turned that experience into a career.

In 2004 Shirley incorporated Uplifting Athletes and became its executive director in 2007. He chartered affiliate programs at five other universities, all athlete-run and benefiting research for various rare diseases. Today, Uplifting Athletes counts more than 25 chapters nationwide, each of which hosts unique experiences and challenges. Uplifting Athletes has raised more than $6 million to support those facing rare diseases. Shirley now serves as CEO of Pledge It, a fundraising platform he founded through Uplifting Athletes, and Costlow is the company's chief operating officer. Former Penn State football players Brett Brackett and Levi Norwood serve on the Uplifting Athletes staff.

Penn State's chapter of Uplifting Athletes has raised more than $1.4 million for kidney cancer research. For the 2023 Penn State Lift For Life, offensive linemen Landon Tengwall and Nick Dawkins serve as president and vice president. They oversee all of the event's operations and fundraising endeavors. Fans who cannot attend Penn State Life For Life can contribute on the Pledge It platform.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.