Maria Sharapova is Top Paid, Benefits Many Charities
With a staggering earnings of $29M, it is easy to envision her living in a glass castle with thousands of servants at her beck and call. The tennis player, whose business empire encompasses sweets to Surgarpova brand, has managed to earn $23M, a huge gap from the $6M she earned from her on-court tennis performances.
But no, the Russian does not lie around having her hair and nails done when she does not have games or endorsement projects. Aside from training eating up a large chunk of her "free" time, the girl, whose name has become a household name since she was 17, is engaged in various socially-responsible and charitable activities. Below are just some of the charitable works the young millionaire is engaged in. Quite impressive indeed.
1. Great Ormond Street Hospital
A sizeable donation received by the Great Ormond Street Hospital is from the tennis player's hard-earned money. The hospital has up to thousands of patients yearly, mostly suffering from life-threatening diseases. The tennis player, known for her big heart, especially when it comes to little kids, shows her support by donating huge sums from her earnings.
2. United Nations Development Programme
The tennis player is also the goodwill ambassador for the UNDP. The UNDP has various programs geared to the improvement and development of people from developing countries. The Russian tennis player firmly believes that everyone should be given a chance to a brighter future like hers.
3. Variety-The Children's Charity
Another proof of how enamored Maria Sharapova is with kids is her involvement with Variety-the Children's Charity. The player does not just give money she earned from her endorsements and performances, but also devote time and effort. One of the core goals of the program was to give children access to needed modern technology in order to tap into different opportunities to improve.
4. Shoe 4 Souls
The pretty Russian tennis player shows her care for the world and people around her by also participating in the charity Sole 4 Souls. Every year, the organisation gathers around 10 million pairs of shoes, both new and pair and distributes it to those who need them. Sharapova gave time, effort and money to this project.
Impressive right? Maria Sharapova was just named the highest-paid sportswoman on Wednesday. Makes you happy that someone deserving like her is paid such, who knows how to engage in business as well as charity at the same time.