Charlotte Sting forward Allison Feaster will team up with ShadeTree Home for Girls in an effort to provide a safe haven for young girls who have been abandoned, abused, neglected or are in need of a healthy parenting environment. ShadeTree, a privately funded residential home for girls in South Carolina, is in the beginning stages of development with plans to begin construction on facilities this coming fall in Edgefield, South Carolina.

ShadeTree Home for Girls was founded by Shonda Simpkins, a woman who has dedicated her heart to the healing of South Carolina's children. An Executive Board consists of seven members and an honorary board is made up of five members from South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia.

"Young people today need compassion and hope, they also need examples,� Simpkins said. �Allison Feaster is an example. Ms. Feaster brings a spirit of excellence to our organization and is a positive role model for young women. Her life illustrates that with discipline, dedication, and determination, you can achieve whatever you dare to imagine. She is someone that the young women who enter our program can easily admire and respect both for her academic and athletic achievement, and her presence on our board brings tremendous energy and excitement. We're proud she's a part of our team.�

Feaster, a native of Chester, South Carolina, will serve as an Executive Director of ShadeTree and be involved in the creative process and implementation of educational and athletic programs at ShadeTree. Feaster will also serve as a mentor and inspiration to the young girls.

�I am honored to be a part of ShadeTree Home for Girls. It gives me a great sense of fulfillment and gratification to be able to give back to the community and my home state of South Carolina. Even though we are in the development phases of ShadeTree, I am encouraged that young girls may once again become hopeful and inspired through the vision of ShadeTree.�

In her sixth WNBA season and third season with the Charlotte Sting, Feaster is the team�s leading scorer with 12.4 ppg this year. She has played overseas in France and Portugal and speaks French, German and Spanish. A 1998 graduate of Harvard University, Feaster graduated with a degree in economics and led her team to a 23-5 record as a senior en route to a berth in the 1998 NCAA Tournament. She also played five varsity seasons for Chester High School and ranked as South Carolina�s leading scorer until Ivory Latta broke the record last winter.

ShadeTree Home for Girls is currently in the beginning stages of development, with plans to begin construction on a new facility this fall in hopes of opening the home in the spring of 2004.

For more information on Allison Feaster and the Charlotte Sting, please log on to www.charlottesting.com or call (704) 424-4806. For more information on ShadeTree Home for Girls, please contact Shonda Simpkins at 803-637-3314. # # #