After Bills safety Damar Hamlin was taken to UC Hospital following his horrifying collapse on “Monday Night Football” against the Bengals, NFL fans did their best to make something — anything — good come of the situation.
The Pitt grad organized a fundraiser ahead of Christmas called the Chasing M’s Foundation Community Toy Drive, in which he raised money to distribute toys at Kelly and Nina’s Daycare Center in Pennsylvania.
Hamlin’s description of the fundraiser is:
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 Chasing M’s Foundation
Hamlin recently posted a video on his social media of the event.
While the event already occurred, that didn’t stop NFL fans from donating to the foundation after the game was suspended. At the time of this article’s publication the GoFundMe page set up for the event raised over $3 million from over 50,000 donations. Its goal was $2,500.
One of the people who donated to the GoFundMe was reportedly legendary wrestler Chris Jericho, who donated $5,000. Although, he misspelled his name the first time, writing “Chrus Jericho.” So, he donated another five grand with the correct spelling of his name.
Chris Jericho donated $5,000 to Damar Hamlin’s charity. He misspelled his name the first time and then donated another $5,000. pic.twitter.com/gEdCPDIzZ0
— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) January 3, 2023
While The Sporting News has not independently verified Jericho’s reported donation(s), it would stand to reason that it is accurate. Jericho has been tweeting his support for Hamlin on social media in the wake of his injury.
Please pray for Damar. @BuffaloBills
— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) January 3, 2023