photo courtesy of NBC News
After the shocking collapse of Damar Hamlin on January 2 after he completed a tackle during the Buffalo Bills versus Cincinnati Bengals game, Hamlin’s pre-existing GoFundMe for his foundation has boomed in support. The Chasing M’s Foundation has raised over $6.5 million as people continue to show their love and support for the 24-year-old Bill’s player.
The GoFundMe page has since been updated since the incident, thanking everyone for all their efforts amid the Hamlin family’s trying times. The update reads, “
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,” The page continued to ensure that all the funds cumulated were given to the family and handled adequately.“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.
This is the only current fund that is being used by the Hamlin Family. We appreciate your understanding as we give them the time and space they need to focus on Damar’s health first. Again, thank you for your thoughts, prayers and support during this time.”Despite the boom in donations, the writing representatives made sure to acknowledge the original intentions of the GoFundMe upon its creation in 2020, when it just had an initial goal of $2500. They wrote, “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.”
The Bill’s player himself explained the Chasing M’s Foundation as an “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…”