WNBA Star Donates Half Her Salary To Charity

While WNBA players don’t earn the same salary as their multi-million dollar NBA counterparts, that doesn’t mean their heart isn’t as big, if not bigger. New York Liberty center Tina Charles easily proves it.

Charles will donate half of her $100,000 WNBA salary to a charity she started to honor her aunt, who died from multiple organ failure in 2013, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

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Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome is the presence of altered organ function in acutely ill patients such that homeostasis cannot be maintained without intervention. It usually involves two or more organ systems. The condition usually results from infection, injury (accident, surgery), hypoperfusion and hypermetabolism.

This act of kindness isn’t the first time Charles has helped those in need.

Last season Charles donated…

…$50,000 to “Hopey’s Heart,” her foundation. Hopey’s Heart also honors Wes Leonard, a high school basketball player who died of a sudden cardiac arrest in 2011 after hitting a game-winning shot. It provides health education, CPR training and automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) for schools and community recreation centers.

Over the past few years, Charles has bought 142 AEDs for communities in need. She plans to use this season’s $50,000 contribution to buy more and fund her expansion into Europe, where she will donate 16 AEDs in July. Because of Charles and Hopey’s Heart, all EuroLeague women arenas will be outfitted with life-saving AEDs.

“People ask me why I want to do this and provide every team and I tell them that I think the best joy of humility is to put the interest of others over yourself,” Charles said in a FIBA press release at the time.

“Taking an interest in others is key in my life,” she told the Associated Press. “It’s my way of giving back. My passion of placing AEDs. Anything I can do to impact an institution with an AED is extremely important to me.”

Here’s to her seeing a need and doing whatever’s in her power to fix it.  Much love Tina!

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