STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (CBS) – It has become the event of the summer up in State College. Penn State football players tomorrow hold their annual “Lift for Life” event, which raises money for a rare disease.

Uplifting Athletes is now national non-profit that has chapters at several Division I colleges, but it all started at Penn State in 2003. Each chapter focuses its fundraising and attention on a rare disease and at Penn State that is kidney cancer. Using the Lift for Life as its centerpiece, more than $500-thousand has been raised in Happy Valley (since ’03).

You can hear Matt Leon’s interview with Mike Farrell in this CBS Philly ‘Specials Place’ podcast…

This is the 9th year of the Lift for Life. Penn State offensive lineman Mike Farrell breaks down what makes up the competition: “There are conventional things like the bench press and the leg press.  But it has some unconventional things I think the fans like to see like the monster truck tire flip. Teams of four that compete in the event, made up of players from our team.”

He says he is proud to be a part of it, “I think it’s kind of becoming a tradition. Guys that I looked up to when I was first getting to school were involved in it, so my association with them kind of got me interested and got me started with it. Hopefully I can continue on the tradition like they did.”

What makes the lift really special is that it was created, developed and is run entirely by members of the Penn State football team.

For information on how you can donate to this year’s Lift for Life, check out their website.

Reported by Matt Leon, KYW Newsradio 1060