Damar Hamlin Toy Drive: How will the $8.6 million donation be spent?

New York – Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin plans to support youth through education and sports with an $8.6 million GoFundMe donation that unexpectedly spilled over into his toy fundraiser after he suffered a mid-game cardiac arrest last week .

It will also use the proceeds from the sale of new T-shirts that read “Did we win?” along with heart-shaped hands to raise money for the Cincinnati trauma center that treated him. Hamlin, who tweeted on Sunday about his team’s victory over the Patriots, tweeted on Tuesday that he was back in Buffalo but still in the hospital, being evaluated.

The 24-year-old has teamed up with The Giving Back Fund, a non-profit organization that helps athletes and celebrities manage their charitable giving, to launch The Chasing M’s Foundation. GoFundMe representatives told The Associated Press that the crowdfunding platform will soon transfer donations from Hamlin’s Jan. 2 injury to a new fund. Chasing M’s is Hamlin’s clothing company.

According to his marketing spokesman Jordon Rooney, Hamlin and his family are “humiliated by the tremendous support given to him during his recovery.” “They are incredibly grateful for the constant prayers and outpouring of concern that people around the world are showing,” Rooney wrote in an email, adding that they plan to communicate with donors over time. The new foundation is now collecting donations online and via text messages.

“We are working as a team to facilitate the transfer as soon as possible,” Giving Back Fund said. He plans to reveal the final amount of all donations, including support for star quarterbacks Tom Brady and Russell Wilson. As a financial 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 remarkable recovery has sparked a boomerang of solidarity in the football community with fans donating, players honoring him and Hamlin tweeting to all of them.

Hamlin’s largest public GoFundMe donation as of Tuesday was $33,333 from ADCO Electrical Corp., based in Staten Island, New York. Owner Gina Addeo didn’t want to be interviewed, but the donation itself shows support – the number on Hamlin’s T-shirt repeated five times. .

Similarly, Carl Fohler decided to make a $25,003 donation on behalf of the sustainable laundry company Sheets Laundry Club, of which he co-owns. He stayed up late due to Hamlin’s injury while awaiting news of his health. The next morning, he went to the news search and saw a link to a video in which Hamlin talks about fundraising for children.

“I knew right away that this is what we have to do,” he said after speaking with his business partner.

Fohler said he was born in Buffalo and adopted at six weeks old, adding another reason besides being a die-hard fan of Bill to donate to Hamlin’s work to give the kids hope.

“I know how lucky or unlucky you can be. Paths can change quickly,” Fohler said.

Anna Isaacson, the NFL’s senior vice president of social responsibility, oversaw the flow of donations, though Hamlin’s health remained a priority. She began reaching out to “make sure we all surround Damar and his family with resources to really take on this massive project that will bring in millions of dollars in donations to the youth in the community.”

The league’s player health and safety team is already reviewing its practices and policies following Hamlin’s injuries, which Isaacson said were part of their responsibility.

“People watch our games and we have fans all over the country. And with that comes the responsibility to give back and use those moments, often difficult times and challenges, to change our society for the better,” she said.

Fohler hopes Billy makes it to the Super Bowl, a dream for him and many fans. Asked how he understood the moment when so many emotions were mixed up – watching the terrible injury and then reclaiming the generosity, he said that Damar had already figured it out for him.

Pointing to tweet where is hamlin wrote that he would have preferred to run out of the tunnel early in the game with his teammates, but said instead, “God is using me differently today.”

“When he wakes up and becomes Damar again and sees more than $8 million,” Fohler said, “he will have many plans and there will be a good mood everywhere.”

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