HAMILTON, N.Y. (2/24/09) – The Colgate football team will hold its second annual Lift For Life event on Saturday, March 7 at the Sanford Field House at 6 p.m.  The event will help raise funds and awareness for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a group of inherited disorders that affect your connective tissues – primarily your skin, joints and blood vessel walls.  With EDS, genetic mutations disrupt the production of collagen, a chief component of connective tissue.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is uncommon and occurs in six major types.  All types affect your joints, and most also affect your skin.  Some of the more prominent symptoms of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome include flexible joints that extend beyond the normal range of movement, and skin that’s especially stretchy or fragile.

The event this year really hits home because it directly effects a teammate and his family,” said junior linebacker Greg Hadley.  “Last year was nice to get the event off the ground and do some good, but when you are out there for people you care about, like Ryan Meyers, it’s special.  That’s what Uplifting Athletes is all about.”

Colgate football players are members of the Uplifting Athletes, Inc., an organization established to raise awareness for rare diseases.  Other college football programs currently involved are Penn State, Ohio State and Maryland.

The event will feature Colgate football players competing in lifting and skills competition.  Colgate fans will have a chance to meet the players with an autograph session after the competition.  The first 100 fans will receive free T-shirts, and other gifts, including an autographed helmet and jersey from Donovan McNabb, will be raffled off along with other prizes from local businesses.

Admission to the fund-raiser is $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for college students and free for children under eight.

“It means the world to me and my family that the team would pick a disease that benefits my sister’s disease,” said Meyers, a senior quarterback.  “It just shows you that a football team is truly a family, looking out for one another through the thick and the thin.”