Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin said he will fund his own nonprofit with the millions donated while NFL fans watched in horror as he fought for life on an NFL Monday Night Football broadcast in January at Cincinnati, The Associated Press reported.
Hamlin collapsed on the field after taking a hit so hard that it stopped his heart, the AP reported. As medical personnel from both teams fought to revive him, fans watching live from around the country wanted to help and poured $10 million into online fundraising campaigns. Hamlin said he’ll use the money to fund his own nonprofit, the Chasing M’s Foundation, the AP said.
Hamlin told the AP that his nonprofit was a small organization when he started it as a college football player and that the main goal of the Chasing M’s Foundation was to improve the lives of young people.
Fans donated more than $9.1 million to a GoFundMe account for a community toy drive that Hamlin organized, and almost $1 million to another fundraiser set up by the Giving Back Fund, a nonprofit that helps athletes with charitable giving, according to NBC Sports.
Hamlin is also working with the American Heart Association to help spread awareness of how to perform CPR, NBC reported.