When Scott (Pledge It’s founder) was playing football at Penn State, he learned that his father had been diagnosed with a rare disease and that nothing could be done. The team rallied around an idea they had to hold a summer lifting competition known as the “Lift For Life” as a way to attract fans and media so they could share their story. In the first 15 months, they raised over $50,000 for rare disease research. Scott knew that he had the start of a powerful platform, and it was just a matter of time before he would have the chance to create a solution that helped harness the power sports for good.
Pledge It was officially started when Devon Still of the Cincinnati Bengals (and Scott’s friend) learned that his daughter Leah had been diagnosed with cancer, he turned to Scott to help him create the campaign to “Sack Cancer” during the 2014 NFL Season. Sack Cancer was the first campaign and many more have since followed. Pledge It’s origin story is rooted at Penn State, but its impact is much, much larger.