Former Hornets Owner Donates Classic Car For Charity

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The man who helped bring the NBA to Charlotte was back in North Carolina on Saturday.

George Shinn, the former owner of the Charlotte Hornets, donated one of his private collection classic cars for auction at the Greensboro Classic Cars Auction.

The car is a 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca. Proceeds from the Mustang will go to a nonprofit called Mary Sunshine House. It is a residential program in South Carolina for adults with autism and other neurodevelopmental differences.

“It’s important to me for a number of reasons,” Shinn said. “One, I love cars and grew up in Kannapolis, North Carolina and I had a preponderance for cars, working in my dad’s service station. And I’ve bought and secured a collection of cars primarily, not for my own use, but for raising funds for charity. I’ve been doing that for a number of years and it’s been an extremely positive thing for me. And I get a lot of benefit out of doing that, and helping others,” he says.

Shinn’s Mustang sold for $65,000. In addition to the car, Shinn pledged an additional $12,000 and challenged the audience to meet his match. The audience responded with resounding support and raised a total of $142,000 for the charity. “We are honored and humbled by George and Megan’s generosity which sparked significant support from the crowd at the auction,” said Mary Sunshine House founder and board president Lori Pendergraph. She continues, “I can’t think of a better way to wrap up April which is Autism Acceptance Month across the nation and deeply thank everyone who donated to support our mission.”