Tina Charles partners with CW Advisors to fund AEDs

CW Advisors announced on Friday a partnership with retired WNBA forward Tina Charles that includes an initial $20,000 commitment to Hopey’s Heart Foundation to fund automated external defibrillators in schools, community centers and recreational facilities.

The $20,000 gift will go directly to Hopey’s Heart, the nonprofit Charles founded in memory of her aunt Maureen “Hopey” Vaz. Charles created the foundation after learning her aunt had donated $14,775 before her death in 2013, money that helped buy 10 AEDs for schools.

Since its founding, Hopey’s Heart has placed more than 500 AEDs across the United States and a device from the program is credited with saving one life.

Charles retired from the WNBA in May 2026. Her playing career includes two NCAA championships at the University of Connecticut, selection as the No. 1 pick in the 2010 WNBA draft and three Olympic gold medals. She has shifted her focus to expanding Hopey’s Heart in retirement.

“The foundation was created to honor my aunt by helping save lives and strengthen communities,” Charles said, describing the partnership as part of her next chapter.

CW Advisors is a Boston-based wealth management firm and family office with $17.5 billion in assets under management. Nelly Xavier, the firm’s managing director, wrote that women are directing more wealth and that the firm works with clients who want to pair financial planning with social impact. “We know women focus on impact,” Xavier wrote. “That is not a talking point for us. It is how we work.”

Scott Dell’Orfano, CW Advisors’ chief executive, said more wealth is moving into the hands of women who start businesses and lead philanthropy, and that firms built to serve those clients will be most relevant.

Industry forecasts estimate that by 2045 more than half of the projected $84 trillion Great Wealth Transfer will go to women. A 2025 report found women taking expanded roles in philanthropy and nonprofit leadership.

CW Advisors described the $20,000 as an initial contribution and said it hopes to expand support for Hopey’s Heart in the future.