The New York Liberty’s Tina Charles will donate half her salary to a foundation she started as a way to honor her aunt, who died from organ failure in 2013. This is especially awesome because a) her $100,000 salary — and pretty much every WNBA player’s salary — is a fraction of what their NBA counterparts earn and b) this is the second time she’s done this.
New York Liberty’s Tina Charles donates half her salary to charity again
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From the Associated Press:
Charles has already bought 142 automatic external defibrillators over the past few years. She’ll donate approximately $50,000 of her salary for the second straight season to purchase more, including 16 that are headed to Europe on July 4.
As for her foundation, “Hopey’s Heart,” Charles is making a big expansion to Europe:
The foundation, Hopey’s Heart, provides health education, CPR training and lifesaving AEDs in schools, communities and recreational centers. It honors not just Charles’ aunt but also Wes Leonard, a high school basketball player in Michigan who died in 2011 of sudden cardiac arrest after hitting the winning shot for his team.
Now Charles is expanding her foundation’s reach to Europe. Starting next season, all EuroLeague women arenas will be required to have an AED on site thanks in large part to Charles, who played in Turkey this past winter.
Charles may not be making big bucks playing for the WNBA, but she’s got a big heart and she’s making a big sacrifice to, fittingly, help fix hearts for those in need.
(h/t ESPN)
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