Uplifting Athletes is a non-profit organization of current American college football players, benefiting those with rare diseases. The group was established in 2003 and is a 501(c)3. The organization was founded in 2003 by a group of Penn State Nittany Lions football players who turned an annual weightlifting competition into a fundraiser. Wide receiver Scott Shirley's father was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2003. When Shirley turned to his teammates for support, he discovered three others also had fathers battling the disease. Because so few (less than 200,000) Americans are diagnosed with kidney cancer, funds to fight the disease are scarce. Two of Shirley's teammates, offensive tackle Damone Jones and center Dave Costlow, saw an opportunity for student-athletes to use their high-prof