The NMU football team holds an annual fundraiser during its spring training. This year’s event will be a Lift-A-Thon. Each player has a goal weight and is looking for people to sponsor flat pledges and donations based on weight lifted.

The Lift-A-Thon event is free of charge and will take place on Friday, April 8 at 7 p.m. in the Vandament Arena.

Head coach Bernie Anderson said that the event is for a great cause and he would love to see the NMU community get involved and be a part of something great.

“The event will be not only a great physical challenge for our players but it’s a chance for the community to see how we run our program and motivate this team,” Anderson said. “Funding is a critical part of our program and for our athletes.”

Anderson said the funds will go towards equipping the team with the high-quality gear necessary to play at the collegiate level.

“We want to make sure that our athletes have the proper equipment and are able to play the sport they love,” Anderson said.

If the team fails to raise their goal amount, they will not have adequate funding for the season.

Redshirt junior Price Burton said he is excited to participate in the event, but knows that a lot is at stake here and donations are critical for this event.

“It’s hard when your program’s budget is cut, but these are hard times right now,” Burton said. “It’s not like we won’t have a season next year if we don’t raise enough money from the fundraiser.”

Still, Burton said having a team and having the right training equipment and gear for the team are two different things.

“The first thing that will be cut is the chances of getting new equipment, jerseys, and so on. All we can do is give it our best shot and show the community that their help won’t go unnoticed,” he said.

Aside from the event itself, the players and coaching staff will be available to explain the program in-depth to anyone who is interested. Tours of the workout facilities, step-by-step guides of what the team’s future goals are, and all the ‘behind the scenes’ activities will be made available to one and all.

The players are looking to raise at least $60,000. People who wish to donate will be able to fill out forms to support the players.

The players will also be playing a spring game which will mark the end of their spring practices.  The game will be held at the Superior Dome and will commence at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 9.

Anderson said everyone is encouraged to attend and support the Wildcat football team. He also said that both events will be a lot of fun to attend and hopes that the turn-outs will be great.

“We absolutely love our fans and we always want to give them our best performance no matter what,” Anderson said. “Our program needs the support of the community now more than ever through these tough financial times.”