Fans Donate Millions to Hospitalized NFL Player’s Toy Drive Charity

It’s probably safe to say by now that we’ve all heard about Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s sudden collapse on field during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s a terrible thing, and I know we’re all praying for a full recovery. (Happily, he seems to be moving in that direction.)

But, as tragedies often do, Hamlin’s cardiac episode has brought out the best in people. Faced with the awkward dissonance of caring a lot about his health and being unable to do anything about it, fans channeled their empathy elsewhere: Hamlin’s online toy drive for Kelly and Nina’s Daycare Center.

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, and the first program is the 2020 Community Toy Drive.

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 time to act is now, as we will be distributing toys on December 22nd from 3:30 to 5:30 PM from Kelly and Nina’s Daycare Center at 800 Russellwood Ave., McKees Rocks, PA 15136.

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.

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.

Damar Hamlin

The NFL player’s online fundraiser had a stated goal of $2,500 to provide toys to the wards of the Pennsylvania daycare, but after his hospitalization, donations started flooding in faster than GoFundMe could keep up, according to one reporter:

As of this article’s publication, Hamlin’s fundraiser has now raised over $7 million.

Holy cow, that’s a lot of toys.

In an update posted to the fundraiser’s GoFundMe page, Hamlin’s team wrote,

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.

As representatives of Damar, the team at Jaster Athletes posted the fundraiser updates and will work with the Hamlin family, The Chasing M’s Foundation, and the GoFundMe team to ensure the safe delivery of funds.

Damar created The Chasing M’s Foundation to use as a vehicle to bring lasting impact to his community. The foundation supports toy drives, back-to-school drives, kids camps, and more. We’re hopeful about Damar’s future involvement in disbursing the incredibly generous contributions.

I know it’s tempting to be cynical about this story, saying “It’s just toys” or “People are only doing it because of idol worship” or “Hamlin only cares about virtue signaling.” And all of that may even be true, to an extent. But at the end of the day, kids in need will benefit from this outpouring of generosity. To me, especially as someone who has spent several years working with those kids, that’s the only part that matters.