Reproduced with permission from the Ocala Star Banner:

This time a year ago, Toyota Motor Corp. was well into its second vehicle recall and the company that made its reputation on safety and quality was watching its sales and image sullied with each new headline.

Photograph © ESI Photography.

OCALA, FL (December 21, 2010)–HITS, Inc. is pleased to announce that DeLuca Toyota will be the title sponsor of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit’s 30th Anniversary Season Finale, the $100,000 DeLuca Toyota Tundra Grand Prix, presented by Great American Insurance Group on Sunday, March 20 to close out the 2011 show season.

Since 2008, DeLuca Toyota Tundra has been the proud sponsor of this big-ticket event, which in its 13-year history has seen the likes of Aaron Vale, Laura Linback, Ian Silitch, Mike McCormick and Tracy Fenney take home the coveted win. Perhaps even more exciting, once again the $100,000 DeLuca Toyota Tundra Grand Prix, presented by Great American Insurance Group, will be a crucial qualifier for the 2011 Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix. Last year, Texas’ own Tracy Fenney used her victory in the $100,000 DeLuca Toyota Tundra Grand Prix to propel her to the top of the Pfizer Million Rider Rankings. With a first-place payout of $30,000, it’s safe to say that High-Performance riders looking for their shot at this year’s Pfizer Million will have this event on their radar.

“Deluca Toyota is a proud sponsor of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit’s $100,000 Grand Prix,” said Bill Morrison, New Cars Sales Manager of DeLuca Toyota. “Our involvement in this program has always been about the people of Ocala. HITS is one of the largest events to affect our city each year, and brings a lot of jobs and income to our community. By supporting this program we support many workers in the community from the rider and trainers, all the way to the person who works at that rider’s favorite restaurant. So in 2011, as well as the last four years, Deluca Toyota is proud to be a sponsor and associate of HITS.”

A testament of their commitment to the Ocala community, DeLuca is also providing the winner of the WTRS Radio Station’s “Ocala is a HIT” National Anthem Contest a check for $500.

Are you looking to buy or lease a new car? DeLuca Toyota is the premier dealership of Ocala and offers the most extensive line of Toyota and Scion vehicles in the state. Located at 1719 SW College Road, Highway 200 West in Ocala, DeLuca Toyota offers big savings on preowned and certified preowned vehicles, which are backed with a seven year, 100,000 mile warranty.

DeLuca Toyota has all your vehicle needs to choose from. Striving for 100% customer satisfaction in all their sales and services, DeLuca Toyota offers the best selection on sales, rentals and repairs as your number one vehicle stop while at HITS Ocala. Whether it’s a car, minivan, truck or SUV, DeLuca Toyota can trade-in, get you credit approved and find available rebates for a comfortable and affordable experience.

You won’t have to go far this winter to see what DeLuca Toyota has to offer. A full line of vehicles will be displayed all season on-site at HITS Post Time Farm alongside the berm at Jumper 1 for you to explore, as well as speak to a DeLuca representative for any questions or needs you may have. From 100,000 miles to the $100,000 Grand Prix; Toyota makes the car, DeLuca makes the difference!

For more information on DeLuca Toyota, please visit DeLucaToyota.com.

The 2011 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit begins January 19 for two consecutive weeks of unrated competition at HITS Post Time Farm. Starting February 8, the AA-rated circuit begins for six consecutive weeks and will culminate on Sunday, March 20, as the $100,000 DeLuca Toyota Tundra Grand Prix, presented by Great American Insurance Group, takes the stage as the biggest finale event of the season. The 2011 show season will feature a full exciting lineup of classes and special events, which include 14 Grand Prix qualifiers for the 2011 Pfizer Million and five Devoucoux Hunter Prix qualifiers for the inaugural $500,000 HITS 3’3″ Hunter Prix Final. Both historic events will take place during the Pfizer Million Weekend at HITS-on-the-Hudson on September 10-11.

For more information on the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit, or to request a prize list, please visit HitsShows.com or call 845.246.8833.

HITS, Inc. produces high-quality, international-level hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the village of Saugerties, HITS has been producing shows since 1982 and is now a nationwide company with world-class circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New York and Virginia. In 2010, HITS took the industry to new heights when it hosted the first-ever Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix. HITS will once again offer the most innovative weekend in show jumping history in 2011 when it hosts the second annual Pfizer Million and the inaugural $500,000 HITS 3’3″ Hunter Prix Final, September 10 -11, at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York.

For more information and a complete schedule of classes and events, visit Media_Info@HitsShows.com.

The Marion County Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Frank DeLuca. DeLuca has been a staple of strength and stability in this community for decades, and exhibits the same virtues toward March of Dimes. As the 2009 March of Babies chair, his team raised over $20,000 for healthy babies. Frank DeLuca has always gone above and beyond the call of duty by making phone calls, writing letters and recruiting new teams to generate new funds and spread the mission of March of Dimes. Even though these are tough economic times, Frank DeLuca’s motivation and headship has helped the March of Dimes raise $414,000.

Frank has supported the President’s Community Council at CF since its inception. This group of community leaders is given an inside look at issues facing the college and the community it serves. The council is invited to meaningful discussions regarding the college’s role in the growing Central Florida region.

Along with supporting college events and the foundation’s first major gifts campaign insignificant ways, Frank has made additional contributions to directly and personally support scholarships at the college. He makes a considerate effort to annually contribute to those scholarships that have been established in honor of friends and loved ones.

Frank made a strong statement about the DeLuca family’s belief in the importance of education when he established the Carole A. DeLuca Endowed Memorial Scholarship in 2006 after the pasting of his late wife Carole.

Frank DeLuca is truly a dear friend and neighbor to the college.

Spring is here and graduation time is upon us. Last year, I had the honor of addressing the graduat-ing class at Marion Technical Institute. Bolstered by the optimism of youth and a good chance to get ahead, those students already had a head start on their peers with education and work experience.

Some of Marion County’s finest firms participate in MTI and have sponsored several internships: Lockheed Martin, MASCO Builder Cabinet Group, Taylor, Bean & Whitaker, Emergency-One, DeLuca Toyota, Ford of Ocala, and MRMC, to name a few. In the packed auditorium, there was genuine ex-citement and revelry for the graduates’ participation in MTI and their working experiences. This, in my opinion, is the very core of the classroom-workplace connection.

Reproduced from Ocala Style Magazine: link

May 16, 2007

OCALA – Local businessman Frank DeLuca gets emotional when he talks about his late wife, Carole, who died in 2006.

“She wasn’t just my wife, she was my best friend,” he said through tears.

Now the philanthropist is spending his life, and his fortune, preserving her legacy by supporting the causes that were near to her heart.

Tuesday morning, the Carole DeLuca Media Center was dedicated at Trinity Catholic High School, a school that the DeLuca family has backed since its inception in 2001.

“We’ve been members of Blessed Trinity for 28 years,” said DeLuca, who owns DeLuca Toyota in Ocala. “Carole always supported education.”

DeLuca provided the funding for the school’s media center, which has two computer laboratories and serves as a satellite campus for St. Leo University. The media center houses a library of written media used for daily research, and DeLuca said a fully equipped television production studio is in development.

“The memorial 100 percent stands for Carole DeLuca and what she represented,” said the Rev. Patrick Sheedy of Blessed Trinity Catholic Church. “We’re very proud of the media center and its technology.”

In addition to the media center, Frank DeLuca has financially supported many other endeavors and organizations in honor of his wife, including the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women campaign, the Marion Theatre, and the Historic Ocala Preservation Society. He also rented a billboard on State Road 200 for a couple of months that displayed her picture and an in-memoriam message.

“She was just a giver,” he said.

DeLuca said he and Carole were high school sweethearts in Orlando before moving to Ocala in 1978. They were married for 39 years and had two children and five grandchildren.

“She was a competitive roller skater,” he said. “She was a dynamic, bubbly personality that could light up a room like a ray of sunshine.”

Carole, who had a heart condition, died unexpectedly during a family ski trip in Vail, Colo., after her son was involved in a serious accident on the slopes. He has since recovered.

“It’s a huge void. It’s been very difficult because we were so close,” DeLuca said.

Since her passing, DeLuca also has established the Carole DeLuca Memorial Scholarship Fund at Central Florida Community College. The fund especially supports students interested in the arts and horticulture.

“The community has always done a lot for me and my family, and this is my way of giving back,” DeLuca said. “Carole and I were a team, and this is a way to keep her memory alive.”

Reproduced by permission of the Ocala Star Banner. Article link.

“In these tight economic times we were very pleased with the amount we raised,” said Gloria James, community director of the March of Dimes’ Marion County satellite office. “Everything went very well.”

She credits the walk’s success to this year’s honorary chairman Frank DeLuca and the great teamwork among many fundraising teams.”Mr. DeLuca did a fantastic job of rallying the local business leaders and keeping our mission in view of the community,” she said. “Teams were great about sharing ideas of what worked well and didn’t work well. It was great to see everyone working together for a good cause.”

The annual event, which drew about 4,000 walkers to the Baseline Road Trailhead Park, raised approximately $400,000 for the March of Dimes.

(Reproduced from the Ocala Star Banner link)