In December 2020, football player Damar Hamlin was gearing up for the NFL draft as he wrapped up his college football career.
Wanting to give back to his community, Hamlin set up a toy drive at Kelly and Nina's Daycare Center in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. He set up a GoFundMe page to help with his goals for the charity.
Hamlin posted on the page:
"As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me."
"I created The Chasing M's Foundation as a vehicle that will allow me to deliver that impact, and the first program is the 2020 Community Toy Drive."
Hamlin continued:
"This campaign gives you the opportunity to contribute to our first initiative and positively impact children who have been hardest hit by the pandemic. 100% of the funds raised will go toward the purchase of toys for kids in need."
The following spring, Hamlin was drafted by the Buffalo Bills.
Last month, the foundation held its third annual toy drive and the GoFundMe page finally hit its goal of $2,500.
A video of the event was posted on Instagram by the foundation and Hamlin.
Barely a week after the event, Hamlin collapsed after taking a hard hit to the chest during the Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Hamlin received CPR on the field where his heartbeat was restored and was then rushed to University of Cincinnati Medical Center by ambulance.
In a statement released by the Buffalo Bills, it was revealed Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and remains in critical condition.
Since the incident, people from all over have been sharing words of support and rallying around Hamlin.
Many have also taken to spreading the word about Hamlin's charity, resulting in a massive influx of donations.
The GoFundMe account - which last month reached $2500 - is still climbing and has risen beyond $6 million!
Several NFL players - Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and many, many others - also contributed to the charity.
The twitterverse is elated and continues to urge others to donate.
When I donated, like 2 hours ago, it was around $350k. It’s amazing when people want to come together what they can do.
— TobyTheTitan 🇺🇸 (@Tobythetitan) January 3, 2023
Many are also encouraging others to donate their fantasy football winnings to the Chasing M's Foundation.
Due to the overwhelming flood of generosity, Hamlin's family has since updated the page, reminding donors the page still exists for the purpose of Chasing M's and also thanking everyone for their outpouring of support.
"This fundraiser was initially established to support a toy drive for Damar's community, sponsored by the Chasing M's Foundation."
"However, it has received renewed support in light of Damar's current battle and we can't thank all of you enough."
"Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us."
In another update posted just today, a team member shared:
"We're simply awestruck by the level of support and generosity we've seen over the past two days."
"With over $6 million raised, this fundraiser has become an overnight reminder of the incredible nature of humankind."
"Your actions directly reflect the type of human Damar is himself."
