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Mission:
Harness the power of sport to build a community that invests in the lives of people impacted by rare diseases.


Vision:
No person impacted by a rare disease feels alone and everyone is inspired with hope for the future.

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East Tennessee State

Chapter Established in 2021
Life Time Total $

Uplifting Athletes Mission

Harness the power of sport to build a community that invests in the lives of people impacted by rare diseases.

East Tennessee State

Chapter Leadership

Current Chapter Leaders

Shaun Hastings
President
Shaun Hastings
President

Shaun Hastings became a chapter leader at Saint Francis in 2020 before he transferred to East Tennessee State and founded a chapter at his new school in 2021. Shaun is the President of the new chapter. He attended the Leadership Development Conference in 2020, 2021 and 2022, was a draft pick presenter at the 2022 Young Investigator Draft and is making sure the Buccaneers football program is using their platform as college football student athletes to serve and inspire hope in the Rare Disease Community.

"One of the biggest things I have learned is how much of an impact that I myself can have on so many people’s lives. I’m very passionate about helping others and making sure everyone gets a fair shot.”

Shaun started his collegiate career at Saint Francis where he played in 18 games along the offensive line, including nine starts, in 2018 and 2019. After the Red Flash season in 2020 was canceled, he transferred to ETSU and is looking to contribute up front for the Buccaneers in 2022.

Official ETSU Bio

Blake Austin
Vice President
Blake Austin
Vice President

Blake Austin volunteered to step into a leadership role and serve as a chapter leader following the 2021 season. He attended the Leadership Development Conference and Young Investigator Draft in 2022 to prepare for the upcoming year. Blake will play a key and instrumental role moving forward in helping the East Tennessee State Chapter continue its mission to inspire the Rare Disease Community with hope.

Blake became a starter late in his second season at ETSU and last year ,during his third year, became the No. 1 left guard on the depth chart for a team that finished 11-2, won a conference championship and posted an FCS playoff game victory.

Uplifting Athletes Programs

Rare Disease Research

Leverage public interest to cultivate resources that accelerate scientific advancements for rare diseases

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Uplifting Leaders

Develops social influencers into leaders that make a positive impact on the rare disease community

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Uplifting Leaders
Rare Disease Awareness

Shares the platform of sport with the rare disease cause and raises it as a national priority

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Uplifting Experiences

Creates special moments that enrich the lives of rare disease patients and their loved ones

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Uplifting Experiences

Fundraising Initiatives

East Tennessee State Football Lift For Life 2022
$325.00 Amount Raised
2 Campaigns
View Results

News & Past Events

#WeTackleRare

Fri, 03/24/2023 - 14:45
@ UpliftingAth
@PennStateFball @jjporter_1 @_Tiig2 @seancliff14 @KingPJ55 @JuiceScruggs @BrentonStrange @cpw_3 @MitchTinsley15…
Fri, 03/24/2023 - 14:40
@ UpliftingAth
@ODUFootball Good luck to @zackkuntz_717, @tyranjhunt, @Trehawkins_, Nick Saldiveri, Dominik Soós, and Ryan Henry w…
Fri, 03/24/2023 - 14:11
@ UpliftingAth
Thank you for including @UpliftingAth in this event! #WeTackleRare
Thu, 03/23/2023 - 10:55
@ UpliftingAth
@RareDiseases Thank you for sharing our campaign! #WeTackleRare
Mon, 03/20/2023 - 17:37
@ UpliftingAth
@king_pizano, @colby_sorsdal, @tyranjhunt, @Nicktarburton40, @ChrisStol18, @Dstirg30, @__bb52, @zackkuntz_717,…
Mon, 03/20/2023 - 17:37
@ UpliftingAth
Good luck to #RFRD23 athletes who are making a difference on their Pro Days: https://t.co/5MLIdO5e6E @KyleNunez55,…
Mon, 03/20/2023 - 10:43
@ UpliftingAth
Thank you for committing your Pro Day performance to support our Reps for #RareDiseases campaign, @D_Jack412!…
Mon, 03/20/2023 - 10:42
@ UpliftingAth
Thank you for committing your Pro Day performance to support our Reps for #RareDiseases campaign, @THoo32! #RFRD23
Mon, 03/20/2023 - 10:42
@ UpliftingAth
Thank you for committing your Pro Day performance to support our Reps for #RareDiseases campaign, @bennettw04!…
Mon, 03/20/2023 - 10:41
@ UpliftingAth
Thank you for committing your Pro Day performance to support our Reps for #RareDiseases campaign, @BigGucciBrice!…
Mon, 03/20/2023 - 10:41
@ UpliftingAth
Thank you for committing your Pro Day performance to support our Reps for #RareDiseases campaign, @hck20_! #RFRD23
Mon, 03/20/2023 - 10:40
@ UpliftingAth
Thank you for committing your Pro Day performance to support our Reps for #RareDiseases campaign, @tyranjhunt!…
Mon, 03/20/2023 - 10:39
@ UpliftingAth
@licous_lee @RareDiseases @MLB @Braves @Twins Hi @licous_lee! We're expanding our upcoming events list all the time…
Mon, 03/13/2023 - 11:39
@ UpliftingAth
Good luck to #RFRD23 athletes @BigGucciBrice, @hck20_, @D_jack412, @dware_nl, @zaire_barnes, @bennettw04,…
Fri, 03/10/2023 - 16:13
@ UpliftingAth
@RareDiseases Thank you for sharing our post! #WeTackleRar
Fri, 03/10/2023 - 11:50
@ UpliftingAth
Thank you for committing your Pro Day performance to support our Reps for #RareDiseases campaign, @Calebw82!…
Wed, 03/08/2023 - 14:22
@ UpliftingAth
Thank you for committing your Pro Day performance to support our Reps for #RareDiseases campaign, @MMarchese24!…
Tue, 03/07/2023 - 18:13
@ UpliftingAth
𝙍𝙚𝙥𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙍𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙨 Good luck to our #RFRD23 athletes @jerrickreed, @MMarchese24, @apihlstrom45, @PalczewskiAlex…

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