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Damar Hamlin's GoFundMe for children's toy drive surpasses $6 million in donations after injury

Tom Schad
USA TODAY

A 2020 fundraiser created by Damar Hamlin received millions of dollars in online donations, as fans sought to show their support for the Buffalo Bills safety who was left in critical condition following a collision during a game on Monday night.

Hamlin, 24, created the GoFundMe page in December 2020 to purchase toys for children ahead of the holidays, writing, "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."

According to a cached version of the web page, Hamlin's GoFundMe had received $2,921 in donations in the two-year span through December 2022. It raised over $6 million from more than 200,800 donors in the hours since Hamlin collapsed on the field during Buffalo's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. 

"Praying for Damar, his family, friends, teammates and all impacted," wrote one donor, who gave $120.

"Praying for you please be ok!" wrote another.

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Spokespeople for GoFundMe did not immediately respond to emails seeking more information about Hamlin's fundraiser, but the company verified it as belonging to the Bills safety in a tweet

By 12:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Hamlin's toy drive had received donations from more than 75,000 people, totaling more than $1.8 million. By 7 a.m., the site had raised more than $3.2 million. By 7:15 p.m., Hamlin's fundraiser surpassed $5.2 million. 

The campaign, now ran by Hamlin's team, issued an update on the platform on Tuesday.

"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 update stated. "Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us."

The update continued: "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… 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."

Hamlin shared footage from his third annual toy drive on his Instagram account on Christmas Day.

A second-year safety who played collegiately at Pittsburgh, Hamlin fell to the ground Monday night after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter. He received CPR on the field and was taken out of the stadium in an ambulance. The game was suspended.

The Bills announced early Tuesday morning that Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest. He remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit. 

Contributing: Cydney Henderson 

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.

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