Hamlin's toy drive gets millions in donations (2024)

Fans are showing their support for Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest in Monday night’s game against the Bengals, by donating to his foundation’s toy drive. Hamlin initially set a goal of $2,500 for his fundraiser on GoFundMe, and as of Thursday at 9 a.m. ET, donations have exceeded $7 million. Here’s what you need to know:

• Hamlin started the toy drive in 2020 through his charity “Chasing M’s Foundation” to raise money and buy toys for children who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pa. His foundation distributed the toys at a local daycare center in December 2020.
• The GoFundMe account remained open after the 2020 toy drive, and the fundraising website has counted more than 220,000 individual donations.
• Self-identified fans of 26 NFL teams have made contributions to the toy drive, with many sending well wishes to Hamlin in the comment sections. Numerous donations have come from fantasy leagues and other pools.

Backstory

Hamlin is in critical condition in a Cincinnati hospital after collapsing late in the first quarter of Monday’s game. The 24-year-old went down after making a tackle on Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. Hamlin got up and took a few steps after the tackle before collapsing.

Bills medical personnel rushed onto the field, stabilizing Hamlin’s head and neck. Doctors called for a stretcher, and Bills players stood on the field as the scene unfolded. Some had tears in their eyes, and some had to be consoled by teammates and coaching staff, while others dropped to a knee to hope that Hamlin would be OK. Star cornerbackTre’Davious Whitewas immediately moved to tears as another teammate comforted him.

Medical personnel removed Hamlin’s face mask and had to restore his heartbeat on the field. They backed an ambulance out of the Bills’ tunnel shortly after and took him from Paycor Stadium to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Later, the Bills announced Hamlin was sedated at the hospital and in critical condition.

The NFL suspended the remainder of the Bills-Bengals matchup and has not made a decision on whether the game will be finished. The league said Tuesday it would not be continued this week.

Are there any updates on Hamlin’s health?

Hamlin remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit at the hospital, and he is showing “signs of improvement,” the Bills said in a statement on Wednesday. Hamlin is expected to remain in the ICU as doctors continue to treat him.

On Tuesday morning, Hamlin’s marketing representative, Jordon Rooney, toldABC’s “Good Morning America” thatHamlin’s family is “in good spirits”and “taking it minute by minute.”

“He’s fighting. He’s a fighter,” Rooney said of Hamlin.

What’s the focus of Hamlin’s foundation?

When he started the GoFundMe page in 2020, Hamlin wrote,“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.”

Greg Diulus previously represented Hamlin when he was preparing for the NFL Draft. Diulus, who no longer represents Hamlin but has remained friendly with his former client, established Chasing M’s Foundation as a 501c3 and also helped set up the initial toy drive back in 2020.

“(Damar’s) just one of those kids that has a personality that you want to be around,” Diulus said. “He just kind of lights up the room when he walks in. He was absolutely adamant that … he was doing something to give back to his community. In his thought process, the best and most appropriate way was a toy drive that would also include some coats and things like that for the less fortunate kids. … If you were a person in need and wanted to come in and get a gift to make for a better Christmas, then you were welcome.”

Hamlin was already in his pre-draft preparation process, refining his 40-yard dash and focusing on other drill work.

“He came back a couple of days early to make sure that he was personally involved in picking up some of the things and getting the event set up,” Diulus said. “The most intriguing part to me is he was just one of the people that were there instead of trying to put on some sort of celebrity status. He was just one of the folks in the neighborhood who was there, but he was able to make it better for everybody else. His face would light up when he talked about making things better for kids in the neighborhood or in the town that didn’t have as much as he was fortunate enough to have.”

Here in McKees Rocks, Damar Hamlin held a toy drive back in 2020 with the goal to give kids a better Christmas.

That mission has become so much bigger this week.

The slogan of the daycare is fitting: “Where the place is small, but the love is big.” pic.twitter.com/k0HLspZBEy

— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) January 3, 2023

The Bills went on to draft Hamlin out of Pitt in the sixth round in 2021.

After donations to Hamlin’s fundraiser recently soared, a representative for the safety posted an update on his GoFundMe page Tuesday saying the foundation supports toy drives, back-to-school drives, kids camps and more.

“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,” the statement on the website said. “Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us.

“If you would like to show your support and contribute to Damar’s community initiatives and his current fight, this is the place to do so. This is the only current fund that is being used by the Hamlin Family. Again, thank you for your thoughts, prayers and generous support during this time.”

Del Reid, the founder of Buffalo-based charitable clothing company 26 Shirts, said he was not surprised by the outpouring of support Hamlin’s toy drive received.

“Bills fans, in a lot of ways, have kind of set an example over the past several years, five or six years, especially since the (Andy) Dalton thing,” Reid told The Athletic. “So it’s an opportunity for the world at large to get on board with this and just to show love.

“There’s not a lot you can do when it’s Monday night and you’re in your living room. There’s just nothing you can do, you’re just sitting there. But when you find out there’s a cause that’s close to his heart that he helped spearhead, if you can show support that way, if you can give to something that’s near and dear to his heart then, you know, you do it.”

Any notable donations?

Andy Dalton, a current Saints quarterback and former member of the Bengals, and his wife Jordan are listed on Hamlin’s GoFundMe page for donating $3,000. Dalton’s donation is a heartfelt gesture toward Hamlin and Bills fans after Buffalo fans donated in waves in 2017 to Andy and Jordan Dalton’s foundation after the then-Bengals quarterback helped Cincinnati beat the Ravens in the regular-season finale, a result that sent Buffalo to the playoffs for the first time in 18 years.

Donations to Dalton’s foundation totaled more than $400,000, with many of the contributions valued at $17 to represent the 17 years the Bills had missed the playoffs. The Daltons then donated to the pediatric department of a Buffalo hospital, the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Bills fans gave Dalton a standing ovationwhen the Bengals visited Buffalo for a preseason game in August 2018.

On Wednesday, Colts owner Jim Irsay donated $25,003 to Hamlin’s GoFundMe page — the extra $3 for Hamlin’s jersey number.

(Photo: Rich Barnes / USA Today)