Brett Brackett remembers well helping set up Lift for Life three years ago.

Four or five football players were involved in preparation, and it was a scramble to advertise and promote the event.

Now, heading into his senior season, Brackett, the president of the Penn State chapter of Uplifting Athletes, says so many players are involved, he struggles to find tasks for all of them.

Lift for Life, a weight lifting competition that raises money for the Kidney Cancer Association, will take place from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. today at Holuba Hall. In total, there are 25 players in the Penn State chapter and 80 will compete in the event, which is open to the public.

“It’s been unbelievable to see the amount of guys that want to support it and the amount of guys that want to help,” Brackett said.

The 2010 edition is the eighth Lift for Life, started in 2003 by former player Scott Shirley, whose father was diagnosed with kidney cancer the year before. He and teammates Damone Jones and Dave Costlow then formed the Penn State chapter of Uplifting Athletes.

The organization raises money for what are called “rare diseases” — any disease affecting fewer than 200,000 Americans, and the Penn State chapter focuses on kidney cancer.

“It’s a great feeling,” Shirley said. “But what makes a bigger impression on me is the difference that that money has made on the cause.”

The first Lift for Life raised about $13,000, but now, in the eight years combined, Shirley said the total should reach around $500,000 after today.

The impact has been staggering.

When Shirley’s father, who died from the disease in 2005, was diagnosed, Shirley said there was one treatment that gave a 10 percent chance of a five-year survival. Now he says there are seven or eight treatments and patients are living longer than ever.

“What you see at Lift for Life, Brett Brackett and his committee are 100 percent responsible,” Shirley said. “I need to make sure they get the credit that they deserve.”

The impact of Lift for Life has reached beyond just the Penn State community.

Carol Willie, a Portland, Ore., native, whose father and husband are kidney cancer survivors, cried the first time she attended the event in 2007.

“The fact that they do that on top of all of their other responsibilities is just incredible,” Willie said. “As far as the type of people they are personally, they’re fantastic people.”

Willie noted the lack of attention to the disease because it is rarer than other forms of cancer. Most insurance policies don’t cover testing for it, and it is generally ignored by larger cancer research organizations.

Both her husband and father were diagnosed by chance — her father after he went to the hospital with back soreness from falling off a ladder and her husband from an ultrasound for another issue.

When she met with a representative for an Oregon senator five years ago to discover why the disease received such little attention, the response was: “It’s because it’s not a popular type of cancer.”

“Now I’m a lot more savvy, and I would have made a remark back,” Willie said. “But at the time it felt like I was punched in the stomach. I realized I was kind of in a battle.”

Since discovering Lift for Life, Willie has made the trip to Penn State every year and, along with her husband and two children, helps with preparation. She and her family write letters to each football player, hoping to offer them a connection to the disease while they work to raise money for treatment.

One of those players she has consistently spoken with is vice president of the Penn State chapter, Mike Farrell. He called his time as a student athlete his “most powerful chance to make a difference.”

“You’re not a Penn State football player your whole career,” Farrell said. “You don’t always have the ability to make this kind of a difference to the point that we do right now.”

Farrell, who got involved during his freshman summer, pointed to how much the event has grown.

“You realize how many people are trying to spread what we’re doing,” Farrell said. “You realize how many people want what we’re doing.”

With the planning and the fundraising for this year over, Brackett said the 11 grueling events the players will take part in, competing in teams of four, is the fun part.

“The hard work is pretty much done,” he said. “By the time Friday comes around, there’s nothing to do. Friday’s just, ‘kick back, get a good workout in and enjoy the whole event.’ ”

Brackett and Farrell each mentioned the amount of player-fan interaction in Holuba Hall and the support from the Penn State community for the event.

Shirley said he would expect nothing less, given the cause and the enthusiasm of the Penn State fans.

“Sports have an amazing ability to galvanize communities,” he said. “College football here is just a great platform.”