Damar Hamlin's Toy Drive Is Blowing Up & NFL Fans Are Donating Millions To Kids In His Name
He asked for $2,500 and got more than $4 million!
Damar Hamlin with kids at Kelly and Nina's daycare center in McKee Rocks, Pennsylvania.
NFL fans, players and other well-wishers are donating millions of dollars to a toy drive in Damar Hamlin's name, after the Buffalo Bills player collapsed from a scary mid-game incident on Monday.
Hamlin, 24, went into cardiac arrest after a hit in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday. First responders got his heart going again and rushed him to hospital.
"Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals," the Bills tweeted late Monday. "His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition."
\u201cThe thoughts and prayers of all of Bills Mafia are supporting you, Damar. \ud83d\ude4f\u201d— Buffalo Bills (@Buffalo Bills) 1672712171
With Hamlin's health and career in question, many people are turning to an old GoFundMe page that he set up back in 2020, which sought to raise money to buy toys for kids at a daycare in Pennsylvania.
"I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me," Hamlin wrote on the page. "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."
The campaign aimed to raise $2,500 in order to deliver a bunch of toys to kids on December 22, 2020. That deadline has obviously passed, but the fundraiser was still open on Tuesday and people have absolutely shattered its original goal in the hours since Hamlin got hurt.
The GoFundMe campaign had raised over US $4 million as of Tuesday at noon, with almost all of those donations coming in since Monday. More than 147,000 people have donated so far, including several who put up thousands of dollars on their own.
"Prayers from Carpet Man Flooring," read the top donor on Tuesday, after contributing $5,500.
WWE star Chris Jericho also appears to have chipped in between $5,000 and $10,000, according to the names on the donation list. Users can type in whatever they want for a donor name, although Jericho has also been tweeting about Hamlin and the fundraiser on his verified Twitter account.
"Please pray for Damar," Jericho wrote.
\u201cIn 2020, at the end of his final year at Pitt, Damar Hamlin organized a toy drive for kids in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pa. This is the young man who went down on the field tonight in Cincinnati. He is a man; not a number on a jersey. Prayers for Damar.\u201d— Keith O'Brien (@Keith O'Brien) 1672713083
Many others have also shared the GoFundMe link, which would explain why so many donations are pouring in now.
Donors offered their thoughts and prayers in the comments.
"There are moments in life that stop the world,” wrote user Michael Lynch. “We all pray for two things. Your speedy recovery and that your impact to the world is enhanced by your go fund me.”
Hamlin grew up in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, where the daycare from his GoFundMe is located. He launched the GoFundMe campaign at the tail end of his college career, just before he entered the NFL draft, the Associated Press reports.
Hamlin ultimately hit his initial goal and showed up at the daycare with plenty of toys for the kids. He's done it every year since.
It's unclear what will happen with the millions in donations that have piled up since Hamlin's injury, but GoFundMe has verified that the account belongs to him.
Here's hoping that he can put that money to use helping others in the days ahead.