How many of us say “I never win anything”? And probably a month ago Gabi Little, a Ward 5 resident, said the same thing. And how many of us delete a dozen different spam emails a day that promise that we have “won” something, because we know that it is a scam? So it is not surprising that when Ms. Little started receiving emails telling her that she had won a new car, that Ms. Little just deleted those emails because, really, who really wins a new car?

It was not until Ed Raymond, a Coca-Cola executive, personally called to tell her, did Gabi Little realize that she REALLY had won a new car. A 2018 Ford Escape SEL to be exact. All those emails saying that she had won a new car from Circle K and Coca-Cola had not been a scam.

Gabi Little is a long time Bedford resident who works for Bedford Schools. Ms. Little says, “I did not even know that I had entered the giveaway. I just stop at Circle K every morning on my way to work.” Gabi Little’s morning routine involves stopping at this Bedford gas station every morning to pick up coffee and a Diet Coke. And that morning habit resulted in her winning a new car.

Gabi Little was on hand today at the Bedford Circle K with her children, Miguel and Maria, to get the keys to her new car. Ed Raymond, the Coco-Cola executive who was not going to let a little email misunderstanding keep someone from winning a new car, and Kevin Chmura, Advertising Manager for Circle K, were there to hand over the keys to Gabi for her new car. Also in attendance were the Bedford Circle K staff, Councilwoman Sandy Spinks (W1) and Councilwoman Heather Rhoades (W5).

Circle K, in conjunction with Coca-Cola, ran a promotion this past winter where they gave away a 2018 Ford Escape SEL. They ran this promotion in 10 states, appearing in over 450 Circle K stores. And it was a Bedford resident who won the Grand Prize. It pays to shop local!

If you know Gabi Little, please take a moment to congratulate her. She absolutely deserved to win this car and it is wonderful to see that someone so nice won this prize.