Former England fullback Mike Brown has asked for all proceeds from the sale of his Newcastle Falcons kit to go to Ed Slater.
A JustGiving page was set up following the announcement and within hours smashed the initial target of £20,000.
It currently stands at well over £60,000 as donations continue to pour in, while supporters of all clubs have taken to social media to offer their support for Slater.
The 33-year-old, who played for Nottingham, Leicester and Gloucester during his career, announced his retirement with immediate effect on Thursday.
In My Locker has only 2 aims:
1. To make sports kit and memorabilia available for the sports fans of the world.
2. To support fantastic charities along the way.
LIST: 5 rugby legends who had unexpected jobs after retiring
There are some rugby stars who took up some unexpected jobs after they hung up their boots and retired. Here are five of them.
5. Richie McCaw – Helicopter pilot
It was revealed at his retirement announcement in 2015 that McCaw would work at Christchurch Helicopters, where he is a Director and Shareholder, and was obtaining a commercial helicopter licence.
McCaw has since obtained said licence and has continued working as a helicopter pilot. He flew several rescue and reconnaissance missions following the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake that struck the South Island.
He also performed milk drops around rural areas of New Zealand while having an endorsement with Fonterra, in which his sister and her husband are dairy farmers.