Oct 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown and September Craft hug during a tribute to former player Tylee Craft who died of Lung Cancer. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

UNC Football Supports Uplifting Athletes

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Jeremiah Artacho | Last updated Jul 20, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The UNC football program supported Uplifted Athletes, an organization bringing awareness to rare diseases. And for Bill Belichick's club, they took part in the "Lift for Life," helping to raise money for a greater cause.

Here's a description of the fundraiser on the Uplifting Athletes website:

"Imagine a world where collegiate teams working out led to more than just conditioning skills. Where pushing past record bench press reps led to innovative medical therapies or tossing a medicine ball helped bring an underserved community closer together. This is what Uplifting Athletes’ signature fundraising event Lift for Life aims to do."

More than just becoming better at the sport itself, Uplifting Athletes is striving toward creating a sense of togetherness that will lead to outcomes further than the gridiron, such as finding a treatment to care for those with rare conditions.

The Carolina Football account shared on X (formerly Twitter) the team's workout session, including a tribute to former teammate Tylee Craft, who passed away last October due to lung cancer:

Running for a greater cause.@UpliftingAth pic.twitter.com/F7iVtdtqlG
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) July 19, 2025

Below is the mission statement provided on Uplifting Athletes:

"Uplifting Athletes is a community unified under the idea that no person should ever feel alone. We harness the power of sport to invest in the lives of people impacted by rare disease so that everyone has hope for the future. We are athletes, researchers, patients, advocates, and allies who make up a team dedicated to one cause. We want to create a brighter tomorrow. Are you in?"

This shows that there is always more to sports — going deeper than the rivalries, the box scores, and the win-loss records. And for UNC to contribute along with other schools (Boston College, Clemson, Baylor, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Elon, Maryland, and others) shows that impact of what raising money can do.

With the season beginning on September 1 against TCU, the Tar Heels hope to start strong with a victory in year one of Coach Belichick. And the Lift for Life fundraiser will go down as a factor in the journey to get there, and for what the 2025 campaign has in store.

At the end of the day, sports will be sports, fun and games at that, but it's always important to stay aware of the reality of what's happening off the field (or court).

Please

This article first appeared on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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