Illinois Football Hosts Lift for Life to Support People Impacted by Rare Diseases
July 2, 2026 | Football
News
Donate to Illinois' Lift for Life
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois Football Chapter of Uplifting Athletes hosted its annual Lift for Life on July 2, to raise awareness and critical funds for the more than 30 million Americans living with a rare disease.
Lift for Life is the signature fundraising event for Uplifting Athletes chapters nationwide, giving student-athletes the opportunity to use their strength to create hope beyond the game. Through a series of competitive strength and conditioning challenges, the team will compete with purpose while raising funds to support rare disease research and life-changing experiences for individuals and families impacted by rare diseases.
Since joining the Uplifting Athletes network in 2014, Illinois Football has demonstrated the power of student-athlete leadership by using its platform to serve a cause greater than the game. Each year, Lift for Life unites the Fighting Illini community around a shared mission: ensuring that no one impacted by a rare disease feels alone.
"Seeing student-athletes use their platform to support the rare disease community is incredibly powerful," said Uplifting Athletes Chapter Success Manager Andrea Baker. "For individuals and families impacted by rare diseases, it sends a message that they are seen, valued, and never alone. We're proud of the Illinois Football student-athletes for choosing to lead with purpose and create hope through Lift for Life."
This year's campaign has a fundraising goal of $15,000, and every donation directly supports Uplifting Athletes' mission to harness the power of sport to build a community investing in lives impacted by rare diseases.
Fans can support the Fighting Illini by making a donation or pledge at charity.pledgeit.org/illinifblfl26. Every gift, no matter the size, helps fund groundbreaking rare disease research, create meaningful experiences for families, and remind those facing rare diseases that they are never alone.
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Uplifting Athletes is a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 that harnesses the power of sport to build a community that invests in the lives of people impacted by rare diseases. Since its inception, Uplifting Athletes has raised more than $12 million by engaging athletes in order to positively impact the rare disease community for today, tomorrow, and the future. To learn more about Uplifting Athletes, please visit upliftingathletes.org.
