BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — An effort to bring a smile to Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin has turned into a national outpouring of support.
Volunteers at Smile Mail Inc., inside the Eastern Hills Mall, spent Tuesday boxing up thousands of cards, notes, and posters from across the country wishing Hamlin a speedy recovery. Those boxes will be delivered to Hamlin at One Bills Drive this week.
"We expected one thousand (cards), I think we got five times that amount," said Ryan Alsop, Founder of the nonprofit Smile Mail Inc., who started the 'Cards for Damar' initiative. "I'm speechless," he added.
Alsop said he wanted to find a way to let Hamlin know the world was thinking of him as the Bills' safety recovered after suffering a cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Smile Mail Inc. teamed up with Sweet Buffalo and Totally Buffalo to collect the cards.
"Ryan came up with this idea and the community did the rest," said Mary Friona, owner of Totally Buffalo. "Everyone wants to help here in Buffalo and Western New York, they aren't sure what they can do, when they heard about this teachers got their kids involved, preschools got their little ones involved, and parents brought in their children. We've gotten so many cards and sayings. It's just beautiful."
The cards will be delivered to One Bills Drive this week by Bills Wide Receivers Coach Chad Hall and organizers hope the messages bring continued comfort to Hamlin.
"It sends hope and prayer, and the fact that we support our own," said Friona. "This team is very special and they mean a lot to all of us, and so they are one of ours, so when something happens to one of ours we always want to take care of them.'
