NEW YORK (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin plans to support young people through education and sports with $8.6 million in GoFundMe donations that unexpectedly poured into his toy fundraiser after he went into cardiac arrest mid-game last week.
He will also use the proceeds from the sale of new T-shirts that say “Did we win?” along with heart-shaped hands to raise money for the Cincinnati trauma center that treated him. Hamlin, who live-tweeted through his team’s win over New England on Sunday, tweeted Tuesday that he is back in Buffalo but is still in hospital being evaluated.
The 24-year-old teamed up with The Giving Back Fund, a non-profit organization that helps athletes and celebrities manage their charitable giving, to host ‘The Chasing M’s Foundation’. GoFundMe representatives told The Associated Press that the crowdfunding platform will soon transfer donations that have come in since Hamlin’s injury on Jan. 2 to the new fund. Chasing M’s is Hamlin’s clothing company.
Hamlin and his family “are humbled by the overwhelming support that has been shown to him as he recovers,” said his marketing representative Jordon Rooney. “They are incredibly grateful for the continued prayers and outpouring of concern that people around the world have shown. world,” Rooney wrote in an email, adding that they plan to communicate with donors over time. The new fund is now asking for donations online and via text message.
“We are working as a team to facilitate the transfer as soon as practical,” the Giving Back Fund said. He plans to release the final tally of all donations, which includes support from star quarterbacks Tom Brady and Russell Wilson. As a fiscal sponsor of donations, The Giving Back Fund is compensated for fundraising. The University of Cincinnati Medical Center did not respond to a request for comment.
Hamlin’s injury and recovery have created a boomerang of solidarity in the football community with fans donating to him, players honoring him and Hamlin tweeting appreciation to them all.
The largest public donation to Hamlin’s GoFundMe on Tuesday was $33,333 from Staten Island, New York-based ADCO Electrical Corp. Owner Gina Addeo did not want to be interviewed, but the donation itself shows support — it repeated Hamlin’s jersey number five times. .
Similarly, Carl Fochler made a $25,003 donation on behalf of Sheets Laundry Club, which he co-owns. He stayed up late into the night because of Hamlin’s injury, waiting for word on his health. The next morning, he logged in, looked for news, and saw a link to a video of Hamlin talking about his fundraiser for children.
“I just knew it was something we had to do,” he said after talking to his business partner.
Fochler said he was born in Buffalo and adopted at six weeks old, adding another reason, besides being a die-hard Bills fan, to donate Hamlin’s work to give children hope.
“I know how lucky or unlucky you can be. Roads can change quickly,” Fochler said.
Anna Isaacson, the NFL’s senior vice president of corporate responsibility, watched the donations roll in, even as Hamlin’s health remained a priority. She began outreach “to make sure we all surround Damar and his family with resources to really take on this huge project that will have millions of dollars worth of contributions back to the youth in the community.”
The league’s player health and safety team is already reviewing its procedures and policies following Hamlin’s injuries, which Isaacson said is part of their responsibility.
“People watch our games and we have fans all over the country. And with that comes a responsibility to give back and use these moments, often difficult moments in time and challenges, to impact our society for the better,” she said.
Fochler hopes the Bills make it to the Super Bowl, a dream for himself and many fans. Asked how he made sense of a moment with so many mixed emotions—watching a horrific injury and then a reflection of generosity—he said Damar already made sense of it.
Pointing to a tweet where Hamlin wrote that he would have preferred to run out of the tunnel at the start of the game with his teammates, but instead said, “God is using me in a different way today.”
“When he wakes up and goes back to being Damara and sees over $8 million,” Fochler said, “he’s got a lot planned and it’s just going to be good vibes all around.”
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