RALEIGH, NC, – March 9, 2022 - Civic Federal Credit Union, a digital-first financial services firm serving North Carolina announced Gina Shell, a retired City of Charlotte employee from Gaston County as the winner of a new 2021 Tesla Model 3 car, the grand prize from its recent Tesla Giveaway contest.
After her 27-year local government career, Gina Shell retired as the Deputy Director of Engineering & Property Management for the City of Charlotte. In this role, Gina worked on Charlotte’s Strategic Energy Action Plan that included efforts to electrify the city’s fleets. She had professional knowledge of EVs, but not personal experience.
“A Tesla was a dream car me,” Shell said. “I have won some things over the years, like a patio set, but never anything this big. For some reason, in the back of my mind, I thought that I could win this time.”
Caregiving: 400 miles per week
Gina retired in July 2019, in part to care for her 98-year-old Mom who lives 45 minutes away in Hickory, North Carolina. Late last year, with more than 175,000 miles on her 2014 Mazda CX5, she began to have concerns about reliable transportation and started to consider newer vehicle options.
In early January, the call from Civic came; driving home from Hickory, she couldn’t pick up the call. At first, she didn’t even tell her husband about the voicemail. “I didn’t want to jinx it,” she said. Later that day, when Gina spoke with Civic and confirmed that it was real, she screamed to her husband, “We won the Tesla!”
Peace of Mind
Gina now drives her new Tesla Model 3 to Hickory every other day to care for her Mom. She uses the Tesla autopilot feature on Route 321 and with the help of her 15-year-old son, continues to learn new vehicle features. And as part of the contest prize, Civic provided Gina with a home battery charging system. “Thanks to Civic, I have peace of mind for being able to safely get to my Mom, to ferry my son to and from school and activities, and for the savings I now have from charging versus paying for gasoline,” Shell said.
The 2021 Civic Tesla Giveaway was one of two major promotions that gave Civic members ways to win. There was also a Torque and Pork contest and North Carolina’s Firefighters earned ways to win a Hybrid F-150 Truck and nine pig cookers for their fire departments.
About Civic Federal Credit Union
As North Carolina's first digital credit union, Civic is a member-led organization that serves local government employees, their families, and small businesses. Created in 2018, Civic has reimagined financial services 'beyond the branch' and expanded access to financial services for people across the state using secure app and web technology for anytime and convenient banking options. The credit union designs products and services which empower people to achieve financial goals, increase financial wellness and, in turn, create stronger communities. Headquartered in Raleigh, Civic serves all 100 North Carolina counties from its LEED Gold-certified building.
