By Marva Sneed
Texas Metro News
Before Damar Hamlin suffered sudden cardiac arrest days ago on the football field, his charitable foundation sought to raise $2,500 to purchase Christmas toys for children in his community.
Yesterday, eight days after his publicly televised heart event, Hamlin’s The Chasing M’s Foundation had raised more than $8.7 million, according to the charity’s crowdfunding GoFundMe account.
Call it a holiday miracle.
“This fundraiser was initially established to support a toy drive for Damar’s community, sponsored by The Chasing M’s Foundation,” a note on the account read. “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,” read the note, which said Hamlin’s family was in support of the account and official fundraiser.
Hamlin suffered the heart event Jan. 2, as his team, the Buffalo Bills played the Cincinnati Bengals.
Monday, Hamlin’s medical team in Cincinnati reported that the NFL athlete had been released from the hospital there and had flown back to New York to be nearer his family and team.
Meanwhile, representatives for Hamlin’s foundation said in the note on the GoFundMe site that they would ensure the money raised there would be used to support “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 note read.
Donate to the foundation here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/mxksc-the-chasing-ms-foundation-community-toy-drive
