Penn State football held its 16th annual Lift for Life Saturday in Holuba Hall, marking another successful year of fundraising for rare disease research.

Penn State letterman Scott Shirley founded the event in 2003 when he learned his father was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Lift for Life has become a key part of every summer in State College, offering fans the opportunity to catch a glimpse of new players and get a few autographs.

As the charter chapter of Uplifting Athletes, which now features 22 schools across the country, Penn State has raised about $1.3 million since the event’s founding. Shirley serves as executive director of the non-profit.

The team sets a fundraising goal of $100,000 per year, and though this year’s total hadn’t been released as of Saturday evening, it appeared the Nittany Lions were well on their way to reaching that goal.

This year marked the first time since 2011 that Lift for Life wasn’t held over Arts Fest weekend. 

Fellow Big Ten programs Ohio State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Illinois, and Maryland have also established Uplifting Athletes chapters.

Prior to the main event, Penn State players held the ever-popular kids clinic, with the team’s true freshmen leading the way and demonstrating skills and drills for the kids.

This year’s workout consisted of bench press stations, the farmer’s carry, tire flipping, a weighted rope pull, and of course another lively few rounds of tug-o-war.

At Lift for Life, the offense always takes on the defense in a friendly back and forth competition, but rallying the community together to raise money for rare disease research is obviously the more important aspect of the afternoon.

The link to donate to Uplifting Athletes can be found right here.