A Fireside Chat with Damar Hamlin
Professional football player, entrepreneur, and philanthropist DAMAR HAMLIN shares his journey to the NFL, the story of his nationally-reported injury and his recovering, as well as his insights about entrepreneurship and how he uses philanthropy to make a community impact.
When God Uses You as a Vessel
When DAMAR HAMLIN experienced a medical emergency during an NFL football game, the world was rocked. As he made a swift recovery, his first statements were gratitude – for those who had cared for him, who were praying for him, and for how the world had shown support by contributing to his organization, The Chasing M’s Foundation. Hamlin illuminates his spiritual journey and how his faith led him through this traumatic experience and enabled him to take the opportunity to refocus on those in need.
In Damar’s words, “What happened to me on Monday Night Football, I feel, is a direct example of God using me as a vessel to share my passion and my love directly from my heart with the entire world. And I’m able to give it back to kids and communities all across the world who need it the most, and that’s always been my dream. That’s always been what I stood for and what I will continue to stand for.”
Give Back to Those Who Need it the Most
NFL player and entrepreneur DAMAR HAMLIN started Chasing M’s Foundation to be used as a vehicle to give back to the people who helped him get to where he is today and lift up the next generation of youth. He started off with a toy drive that expanded into camps and back-to-school drives. Chasing M’s is dedicated to supporting the aspirations of youth and community members through sports, education, and enrichment opportunities. In this profound and uplifting talk, Hamlin shares his inspiration and what calls him to be a role model in his community, and how giving back can change the world.
Damar Hamlin named a GQ Man of the Year for his advocacy
NFL player, entrepreneur, and philanthropist DAMAR HAMLIN has been included in GQ’s “Men of the Year” for his inspirational comeback from a traumatic medical event and philanthropic advocacy work around AED defibrillators accessibility and Hands only CPR training. Hamlin found himself skyrocketed to national fame overnight. Using his newfound popularity for good, Hamlin has been taking on advocacy work for heart conditions, from holding CPR training sessions at youth sports organizations to speaking on Capitol Hill to tearfully presenting an award to Bills training staff at the ESPYs. While Hamlin may not have set out to become a national figure in the fight for AED access, he is doing more than his part to ensure universal access to defibrillators like the one that saved his life. AJL Ventures Inc. said, “Damar was amazing… The crowd enjoyed him, and he was a professional across the board.”
Watch Damar Hamlin present the Pat Tillman Award at the ESPYs here >>
Watch Damar Hamlin in conversation on Good Morning America here >>
Damar Hamlin is currently a starting safety for the Buffalo Bills. Before being drafted in 2021, he played at the University of Pittsburgh where he was a team captain and named second-team All-ACC during his final season. Off the field, Damar makes giving back to the community a priority by being involved in community football camps and charity sports games. He shows off his personality on social media, especially in his Buffalo-based wing review series, “Damar’s Wing Review.” He also owns his own clothing brand called Chasing Millions.
Damar started Chasing M’s Foundation to be used as a vehicle to give back to the people who helped him get to where he is today and lift up the next generation of youth. He started off with a toy drive that expanded into camps and back-to-school drives. Chasing M’s is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the aspirations of youth and community members through sports, education, and enrichment opportunities. Chasing M's has launched a charity weekend featuring a youth football camp, charity softball game, and an All-Star game.
Damar has received the Variety Sports and Entertainment Social Impact Award, the 2023 Alan Page Community Award, the 2023 George Halas Award, and presented the Pat Tillman Award at the ESPY Awards to the Bills training staff. He has been honored by the city of Pittsburgh with a celebration of Damar Hamlin Day on July 9th.