Donations to Bills’ Safety Damar Hamlin’s Toy Drive Skyrocket after His Collapse

After watching his collapse live on nationwide TV, donations started pouring in for a community toy drive he organized

Photo byThe Buffalo Bills Twitter Feed

Within three hours following the unprecedented on-field collapse and sudden onset cardiac arrest of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, more than one million dollars in donations poured into the GoFundMe of a toy drive he set up in 2020.

Hamlin collapsed on the field during a Monday Night Football game versus the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday. At 8:55 p.m. ET, Hamlin tackled Bengals' wide receiver, Tee Higgins, got up, took a step, and then fell backward to the turf, without even attempting to break his fall.

After almost 20 minutes of treatment on the field, including being defibrillated, Hamlin was taken to a local level-one trauma center where he remains in critical condition.

Within an hour of his collapse, donations started pouring into the GoFundMe page for Hamlin's charity platform, The Chasing M's Foundation. Per the description on the page, Hamlin was raising funds to buy toys for underprivileged children.

At 10 PM, EST, only about an hour after Hamlin’s collapse on National television, the page's total donations stood at around $74,000. By 11:20 PM EST, the page had raised over one million dollars in donations from more than 41,000 people, completely decimating the site’s stated goal of $2,500.

At 12:55 AM EST, the charity page had raised over $2.3 million from more than 92,000 people.

Top donations include $1,000 each from 14 anonymous donors and $5,000 from a donor called "Fan Of Damar." Other people left notes of encouragement for Hamlin and prayers for his safety.

"Prayers for Damar Hamlin. Hoping for the best outcome, and if possible, a return to normality for this young man," read a message from a donor named Brian Berry, who gave $50 to the fundraiser on Monday.

On December 14, 2020, Hamlin wrote on the GoFundMe page that he is committed to using his platform to make a positive impact on the community that raised him.

"If you are not able to contribute monetarily, you can support this initiative in other ways. We are accepting donated toys at the Daycare Center or simply spread the word by sharing this fundraiser on your social channels," Hamlin wrote.

"Thank you so much for supporting me on and off the field. I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with you to help make the holiday season a little brighter for the kids in our community," he added.

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