Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin wins players' union's Alan Page award

PHOENIX, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who recovered from an on-field cardiac arrest and raised more than $9 million for charity in the process, won the 2023 Alan Page Community Award, the NFL Players Association announced Wednesday.

"I plan to never take this position for granted and to always have an urgent approach in making a difference in the community where I come from and also communities across the world," Hamlin said at a news conference in a ballroom at the Phoenix Convention Center.

Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest in the first half of the Bills' game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2 in Cincinnati. He spent more than a week in hospitals in Cincinnati and Buffalo before he was released.

The Bills defender started his Chasing M's Foundation Community Toy Drive GoFundMe page in 2020, but donations to the charity exploded amid his hospitalization.

The fundraiser started with a goal of just $2,500, but reached $9.1 million as of Wednesday afternoon.

The players' union, who hosted Wednesday's news conference, announced it will donate $100,000 to Hamlin's foundation.

"One of my favorite quotes is: It's a blessing to be a blessing," Hamlin said.