Tina Charles is known for her skills on the court, but she’s making an impression off the court, too.
The Liberty’s star center and Jamaica, Queens, native will donate half of her WNBA salary, about $50,000, for the second straight season to purchase automatic external defibrillators for her charity, Hopey’s Heart Foundation.
Charles started the foundation in honor of her aunt, Maureen “Hopey” Vaz, who died of multiple organ failure in 2013.
Charles already has bought about 142 AEDs and is beginning to spread the wealth internationally.
She is sending 16 AEDs to Europe, and it’s largely because of her that all EuroLeague women arenas will be required to have AEDs on site starting next season. Charles played with Fenerbahce in Turkey this past winter.
Charles’ charitablitity is nothing new. In 2012, the 26-year-old donated money to help build a school in Mali.
