By DJ Harding –
As most people know Monday Night Football did not go as it was supposed to as a high stakes and much anticipated game. Ended tragically as part way through the first quarter Damar Hamlin made what seemed to be a routine tackle on Tee Higgins on a 2nd down play. But when Hamlin came back up he collapsed on the field needing CPR and at this moment still in critical condition. The entire sports world watched as Hamlin laid still on the ground. Feeling helpless the world found a way to help do something good in a dark time. Within hours of Hamlin’s collapse a link to an old go fund me was discovered for Damar’s charity.
Chasing M’s started by Hamlin was made as a way for Hamlin to still give back to his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. Even when it came to college Hamlin didn’t go far and went to the University of Pittsburgh when he had offers from bigger schools like Clemson.
It was within hours when people found this charity and started sharing, donating and finding ways to help. What was an original goal of $2,500 to help fund a toy drive for Christmas quickly turned into $100,000. Then it was at 1 Million and as of Wednesday Night 6.9 Million and counting.
Donations have been pouring in the last 2 days with the athletes from all sports for instance Tom Brady who donated $10,000, Chris Jericho an AEW wrestler who also chipped in with $10,000 to even some franchises like the Seattle Seahawks who gave $1,000. The outgoing support got so big the Hamlin team posted an update on the GoFundMe saying the following “ We’re simply awestruck by the level of support and generosity we’ve seen over the past two days. With over $6 million raised, this fundraiser has become an overnight reminder of the incredible nature of humankind. Your actions directly reflect the type of human Damar is himself. As representatives of Damar, the team at Jaster Athletes posted the fundraiser updates and will work with the Hamlin family, The Chasing M’s Foundation, and the GoFundMe team to ensure the safe delivery of funds. Because the situation is evolving, we’ll continue to communicate any updates on the fundraiser. We will also work with GoFundMe to email all donors with more specifics regarding the use of funds as those details are available. As you can imagine, this has been a challenging time for the family. We appreciate your understanding as we give them the time and space they need to focus on Damar’s health first.We’re hopeful about Damar’s future involvement in disbursing the incredibly generous contributions. We thank you again for your support and look forward to updating you along the way.”
In such a dark time in sports and especially football it warms the heart to see the world come together in dark times to bring a little light of you want to donate search for The Chasing M’s Foundation Community Toy Drive or visit the link below
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