About Northwestern University Uplifting Athletes

Uplifting Athletes is a national nonprofit that uses college football as a platform to inspire the rare disease community with hope through the power of sport.

Our nationwide network of college football student-athlete led university chapters help bring the vision of Uplifting Athletes to life; which is to empower people to take action against rare diseases and inspires the medical community to find cures.

Each Uplifting Athletes Chapter has its own unique rare disease inspiration, but also serves as a teammate for the rare disease community to help inspire others with hope through the power of sport.

College football players at each university chapter hold special events, fundraising campaigns and awareness drives to shine a spotlight on rare diseases and raise funds for Uplifting Athletes to benefit the rare disease community.

The challenges faced by the rare disease community are bigger than any one individual, team or organization can tackle alone. The grassroots effort of the Northwestern Chapter helps educate the local community and provides individual patients with a life changing experience.

The Northwestern Chapter started tackling rare diseases in 2011 when it joined Uplifting Athletes. The student-athlete led Northwestern Chapter has served the rare disease community on two fronts.

When the Northwestern Chapter was formed in 2011, the Wildcats were inspired by former Northwestern and Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian’s support of the rare disease Niemann-Pick Type C. More recently, the leaders of the chapter chose to use a personal relationship and added ALS as part of the motivation to support the rare disease community through Uplifting Athletes.

Thanks for helping the Northwestern Chapter of Uplifting Athletes tackle rare diseases. Together…We Are…Stronger!