UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The 14th annual Penn State Uplifting Athletes "Lift for Life" was a tremendous success on Saturday. The preliminary fundraising total for the 2016 event is more than $73,000 to benefit rare disease research and patient programs,, which is the highest total in the country. The 14-year total for “Lift for Life” is now nearly $1.2 million.
As of Monday morning, Penn State football student-athletes have raised slightly more than $73,000 for rare disease research and patient programs. Donations to the Penn State chapter of Uplifting Athletes and Lift for Life will remain open until Sept. 30. Fans can track the live total or donate by visiting the chapter’s 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.
With the $73,000 in contributions from this year, nearly $1.2 million has been raised in the battle against rare diseases by Penn State Uplifting Athletes since the inaugural Lift for Life was held in 2003. The inaugural event raised just under $13,000.
The Penn State Lift for Life featured more than 100 members of the Nittany Lion football team and was held at the Penn State Lacrosse Field for the fifth consecutive year, with approximately 2,500 fans in attendance. The offense posted a 35-27 victory over the defense during the six strength and conditioning competitions. The exhibition featured seven rotations of one-on-one battles through six events before the tug of war. The event started with the 225-pound bench press and continued with the new 160-pound overhead press. The 480-pound "farmer" hold, obstacle course relay, tire flip and sled push/pull relay rounded out the slate. The final tally was based on head-to-head victories in each individual rep and the tug of war competition.
The 2016 Penn State Lift for Life included a kids clinic for the third year in a row, which was run by the Nittany Lion freshmen football student-athletes. The event concluded with an autograph session with team.