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Dimmitt Automotive Group is a proud sponsor of the Dream Ride Experience. This past weekend, Matthew Jones, the McLaren Specialist, showcased a McLaren 650S at the kickoff party in Palm Beach, Florida. The VIP reception was held to recognize the sponsors and the Florida area Special Olympic Athletes. The Athletes had the chance to go for a ride in a McLaren 650S or a Ferrari California, an experience that none of them turned down! Dimmitt Automotive Group would like to thank Michael Bozzuto for his dedication to the athletes. His generosity towards the community serves as an inspiration to us. Thank you. About Dream Ride Founded in 2001, “Dream Ride” started as just that––a dream from Michael A. Bozzuto, CEO of Bozzuto’s Inc. It began as an optimistic vision to help people with intellectual disabilities living in our communities. Fourteen years later––thanks to the passion, hope and dedication of his entire company and the community––“The Dream Ride Experience” has evolved into the largest philanthropic endeavor sponsored by Bozzuto’s Inc. and The Hometown Foundation, Inc. The Dream Ride Experience is a culmination of years’ worth of fundraising events, activities and outreach. It is an event to celebrate the achievements of Special Olympics athletes and to honor these outstanding men, women and children living with intellectual disabilities in our communities. Spanning twelve states along the Eastern Seaboard and three countries, “The Dream Ride Experience” has become one of the most exciting and highly anticipated events for engine enthusiasts, Special Olympians and passionate participants. Currently, over $3,365,000 has been raised for Special Olympics programs in multiple states, with over 100% of the proceeds directly benefiting the charity. Our mission is clear: Using Special Olympics as our cause, raise the awareness and much-needed funds for people living with intellectual disabilities while inspiring our communities to overcome diversity, with all the achievements and accomplishments of Special Olympics athletes’ serving as an example. [gallery link="file" ids="290089,290094,290090,290091,290093,290088"]

This past Saturday, Dimmitt Automotive Group hosted their monthly Cars & Coffee Afterparty in St. Petersburg, Florida. Guests arrived at the Aston Martin and Ultra-Luxury Pre-owned Showroom at 8:30AM, immediately after DuPont Registry Car's & Coffee. While enjoying a light breakfast, guests and their families learned about some unique animals from the Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. Shirts and other items were raffled off to raise money for the Zoo. Overall, $270 was raised and the Dimmitt Family matched this amount bringing the grand total to $540. The Dimmitt Automotive Group would like to thank Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo for bringing a few animals to the July Cars & Coffee Afterparty. Please visit their website for more information: http://www.lowryparkzoo.com/ [gallery link="file" ids="289652,289657,289651,289645,289628,289642,289629,289630,289631,289632,289633,289634,289635,289636,289637,289638,289639,289640,289641,289643,289644,289650,289646,289647,289648,289649,289653,289654,289655,289656,289658,289659,289660,289661,289662,289663"]

On Saturday, May 9th 2015, the 15th annual Monopoly Night was held at the Belleair Country Club. Filled with food, auctions, prizes and more, Monopoly Night proved to be a night to remember. Guest's competed to be named the top player at their table and win some great prizes. This event benefits Charity Works Inc which is a non-profit organization founded in 1996. Charity Works provides purchasing advisory services to numerous charities, schools and nonprofit entities. It also provides wellnes-medical aid packs to benefit at risk children and economically disadvantaged individuals as well as a job skills training program for displaced workers. Dimmitt Automotive Group was proud to be apart of this great event. We would like to thank everyone involved as well as Charity Works Inc for improving our community. We would like to encourage everyone to visit Charity Work's Website and get involved with their mission to help those in need. Visit their website here: http://www.charityworks.org/ [gallery link="file" ids="289554,289553,289552,289551,289550"]

On Thursday, April 23 rd, Dimmitt Automotive Group hosted Take Your Child to Work Day at the Clearwater campus for children of Dimmitt associates and their families. Children ages 8 to 15 were asked to submit an application for employment and were invited to attend the event as a “new hire” for the day. Eleven bright and smiling faces attended and started the day with breakfast and a power meeting with Tom McQueen and Major General Karl Horst. Next, the children participated in a new hire orientation meeting with Human Resources associates: Bobbie Bonavia and Michelle Adkins. Each hire received an official name tag and packet of paperwork similar to what their parent would receive when beginning employment. They also received colorful backpacks filled with Dimmitt branded pens, notebooks, coffee mugs, stress balls and snacks. The children were greeted and taken on a tour of the entire dealership by Peter Dimmitt, who, proudly explained the history, legacy and mission of the company. From there the group was led from department to department by Crista Petruccelli who acted as their supervisor for the day. They started with the Cadillac new car sales department and Product Enthusiast Tim Larson gave them an overview and test drive of the 2015 Escalade. Each child was then assigned an Escalade to “purchase” and headed to F&I where Evelyn Ferguson and Johna Swanson guided them through the paperwork process of financing a vehicle. From there they headed to the accounting department to learn the titling process from Kelly Roman and Gyorgyi Cassidy. The children joined their parents in the Community room for lunch and then spent an hour alongside them to watch their mom or dad in action at work. They closed the day with a visit to the body shop and service department where they evaluated a damaged vehicle with Gabrielle Alexander, observed an oil change performed by Matt Porcoro and received their own tool kit from Service Manager Nick Galida to take home. It was a fun and educational experience for all and each child received a Certificate and a “paycheck” at the end of the workday. Visit www.DimmittCareers.com to view current available positions. [gallery link="file" ids="289443,289444,289446,289442,289439"]

On April 27 th, several of our associates volunteered to serve food and drink to 120 of Clearwater’s less fortunate at Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church in downtown Clearwater. Our associates enjoyed serving the community and making a difference in someone else's life. Dimmitt Automotive Group would like to thank John Fabriele, Karl Horst, Matt Jones, Angela & George Hennessey, and Ryan Clemens for fulfilling our mission statement by serving our community. [gallery link="file" ids="289367,289364,289368,289363,289361,289362,289369"]

Dimmitt Automotive Group was a proud sponsor of the 2015 Earth Day Celebration. On April 18th, 2015, St. Petersburg celebrated Earth Day with its second annual festival held in beautiful South Straub Park. The city joined more than 190 countries, over one billion people, to commemorate the birth of the modern environmental movement that began in 1970. The festival was held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the primary goal of educating to create healthy, sustainable communities. Visitors met companies that are leading members of the green/sustainability movement and heard from speakers on current topics affecting our earth. While this is only the second Earth Day St. Pete festival, the city is leading the way in Florida by implementing strategies for a sustainable future. St. Petersburg is the first city in the state to receive the Green Building Coalition's Green City designation, and has been recognized for energy conservation, recycling, water conservation, fuel efficiency, landscaping and preservation of open spaces, and other environmental programs. Proceeds from Earth Day St. Pete 2015 went to support the installation of Solar Panels to provide clean energy to the building shared by the Florida Aquarium and the Blue Ocean Film Festival downtown St. Petersburg. [gallery link="file" ids="288912,288914,288915,288916,288917"]

The Celebration Exotic Car Festival 2015 was held this past weekend in Celebration, Florida. Hundreds of exotic cars lined the streets for various charities. Dimmitt Automotive Group displayed a few preowned cars ranging from an Aston Martin Vanquish to a Ferrari 599. Dimmitt Automotive Group, home to McLaren Tampa Bay, also displayed several McLaren's. The Celebration Exotic Car Festival was founded in 2004. Organized by a dedicated team of volunteers, 100% of the net proceeds are donated after each event. Since its inception, the Celebration Exotic Car Festival has donated over $1 million to children’s charities including Make-a-Wish, Special Olympics and Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital. Over the years, the festival has grown to become one of the largest exotic car events in the world, attracting more than 250 of world’s rarest exotic cars, race cars, and Hollywood movie cars, and more than 40,000 spectators. In the past eleven years, hundreds of children in need have been helped directly through the efforts of this event. Dimmitt would like to thank all who were involved in this year's event. We encourage everyone to visit their website to learn about next year's show. http://www.celebrationexoticcars.com/ [gallery link="file" ids="288725,288726,288728,288729,288730,288731,288732,288733,288734,288735,288736,288737,288738,288739,288740,288741,288742,288743,288744,288745,288746,288747,288748,288749,288750,288751,288752,288753,288754,288755,288756,288757,288758,288759,288760,288761,288762,288763,288764,288766,288767,288768,288769,288770,288771,288772,288773,288774,288775,288776,288777,288778,288779"]

On the evening of Thursday, March 19th, Dimmitt Automotive Group hosted a fundraiser for the Tampa Bay Veterans Alliance at Dimmitt Cadillac in Clearwater. Guests were invited to support the funding of the memorial at Clearwater Crest Lake Park. The Tampa Bay Veterans Alliance, TBVA, is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization developed to provide the citizens of the Tampa Bay area communities an opportunity to show their appreciation to the veterans of the United States military services. Their mission is to establish a basis for honoring Veterans who served to preserve America’s freedom from WWII to the present. Dimmitt Automotive Group proudly supports our veterans and their efforts in constructing this memorial. We encourage everyone to visit their website and learn how you can get involved. http://tampabayveteransalliance.org/ [gallery link="file" ids="288661,288662,288663,288665,288666,288668,288669,288670,288671,288672,288673,288674"]

On the weekend of April 7th, Festivals of Speed was held in St. Petersburg, Florida. The cocktail reception was Friday night and featured delicious food, expensive alcohol, and unique cigars. Guest toured classic cars at the Tampa Automobile Museum. The live music and elegant aurora made for an unforgettable evening. On Sunday, the 12th Annual Festival of Speed display was held at Vinoy Park in downtown St. Pete. Dimmitt Automotive Group had one of the largest displays with over 30 cars ranging from Cadillac to Rolls-Royce. Friend’s were invited to enjoy a first class brunch and mingle with our team members. Dimmitt Automotive Group would like to thank everyone who was involved with Festival of Speed and everyone who stopped by to say hello. On Saturday, March 14th, Festival of Speed Amelia Island was held on the golf course of the Omni Hotel. Our McLaren 650S in Tarraco Orange was on display for attendees to see. That evening, our McLaren was in the cocktail reception along with various other supercars including a Koenigsegg and a Pagani Huayra. Proceeds from Festival of Speed Amelia Island went to the Communities in Schools Nassau County. School-wide CIS Services are short-term preventative measures provided and sourced by CIS in alignment with the school improvement plan. Students do not need to be enrolled in a specific CIS initiative to benefit from these services, but simply need to be enrolled at the school. Examples: clothing, food, eyeglasses, school supplies, short-term homework help, walk-in career coaching, guest speakers, or part-time job assistance. Visit their website for more information: http://www.cisnassau.org/ Click here to view our full gallery [gallery link="file" ids="288652,288651,288650"]

Dimmitt Automotive Group is pleased to have taken part in one of the most unique charity events on the Gulf Coast of Florida, Polo Under the Palms, with Bentley luxury vehicle displays. The event features a 12-goal polo tournament, an evening of cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, dinner and dancing. Since its inception in 2011, the event has raised over $1 million and continues to boost awareness of organizations that pursue advances in research, education, treatment and fighting back against of cancer. Polo Under the Palms The inspiration for Polo Under the Palms began when co-founder Jamie Uihlein was diagnosed with stage II tongue cancer in 2004 and sought treatment at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Six months after Jamie completed radiation therapy under the direction of Randal S. Weber, M.D ., chair of the Department of Head and Neck Surgery, a CAT scan revealed no cancer. The Uihleins positive experience inspired them to create Polo Under the Palms as a means to tell their Florida friends and community about MD Anderson and let them know that the best cancer research and care in the nation is available to them. Due to the continued success of Polo Under the Palms, the Uihlein family was inspired to create Little Owl Charities, Inc., an independent, nonprofit corporation that officially became the host of Polo Under the Palms in 2014. The mission of Little Owl Charities, Inc. is to raise money for and boost awareness of organizations that pursue advances in research, education and treatment of cancer. With that mission in mind, the 2015 Polo Under the Palms beneficiaries will be The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Cancer & Biomedical Research at Mote Marine Laboratory. Please help support our continuing efforts to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families everywhere. Your generosity and help on spreading the word about Polo Under the Palms is greatly appreciated! For more information visit: www.polounderthepalms.com

Dimmitt Automotive Group was a proud sponsor of the 2015 Sarasota Exotic Carfest. This three day event, which benefits the United Cerebral Palsy of Southwest Florida, began with a Jetport Reception at the Rectrix Aerodrome in Sarasota on Friday, February 20th. Guests were treated to live music, food, and a display of jets, automobiles, and yachts all in the theme of Miami Vice. Saturday, the second day of the exotic carfest, began with a car show in downtown Sarasota. Hundreds of exotic cars filled main street. Dimmitt Automotive Group displayed a few luxury cars including a Bentley, McLaren and Rolls-Royce. Saturday evening guests took part in an interactive cocktail theater with renowned mixologist, Rob Floyd. On Sunday, February 22nd, exotic car owners participated in a road rally followed by a closing brunch. Guests enjoyed their experience with the Sarasota Exotic Carfest. Dimmitt Automotive Group has been sponsoring this event for many years and supports the United Cerebral Palsy of Southwest Florida. We encourage everyone to visit their website and learn how you can support them. http://www.ucpswfl.org/ [gallery link="file" ids="287939,287938,287940"]

On Saturday, February 14th, Dimmitt Automotive Group showcased a few luxury cars at the Cars on 5th show in Naples, Florida. Thousands of people enjoyed the hundreds of automobiles that were displayed. Dimmitt Automotive Group displayed a McLaren 650S, Rolls-Royce Wraith, Ferrari F430 and Bentley GTC. Dimmitt has been a sponsor of Cars on 5th for many years. This year, the show benefits St. Matthew's House in Naples, Florida. St. Matthew's Mission Statement reads: "To change lives in a spiritual environment that is both compassionate and disciplined, as well as provide housing for the homeless and food for the needy." We encourage everyone in the local community to get involved with their mission. For more information, visit http://stmatthewshouse.org/ [gallery columns="4" link="file" ids="287749,287751,287752,287750"]