A new, multi-year sponsorship with Toyota and Damian Lillard Toyota is giving a boost to student activities at Linfield University. The two-year agreement provides the university with a free-to-Linfield leased 2025 Toyota Sienna, as well as financial support to the women’s athletics and performing arts programs.
While Linfield has 17 vehicles, the Toyota Sienna is the first all-wheel drive vehicle in the university fleet.
“Oregon’s weather can be wildly unpredictable. Having an all-wheel drive vehicle available to student clubs, organizations and employees fills an important need,” said Jeff Mackay, vice president of student affairs at Linfield. “We are grateful to Toyota for enhancing the options in our campus motor pool.”
Linfield’s fleet of vehicles is used by certified drivers for a variety of official school functions. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Student activities, such as performances, ski trips, debate tournaments, etc.
- Recruitment visits to high schools.
- Service-learning activities.
- Alumni-related activities, including the annual trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
- Class visits to businesses and community partners.
Additionally, Toyota and Damian Lillard Toyota become the official sponsor of Linfield’s women’s athletics and performing arts programs.
“This generous sponsorship highlights the vital role of the performing arts in our community,” said Janet Gupton, director of theatre. “This support empowers our students and programs, opening doors to new creative opportunities and ensuring the performing arts at Linfield continue to thrive.”
Currently, Linfield offers women’s teams in basketball, cheer and dance, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball and wrestling. The performing arts programs — consisting of music, theatre and dance — host more than 20 events per academic year. This includes recitals by students, faculty and guest artists; dance performances; and theatre productions.
“Thanks to Toyota and Damian Lillard Toyota, the Linfield Theatre Program is collaborating with the Department of Music to produce the musical “Alice by Heart” — with music by Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Steven Sater and book by Sater with Jessie Nelson — in the spring of 2026,” Gupton said.
The organizations are also collaborating on hosting a special arts performance at Damian Lillard Toyota each year.
“Seeing that our contribution is helping support both our women athletes and the arts at Linfield makes us happy on so many levels. Supporting our community has always been one of Damian Lillard Toyota’s primary focuses and being able to fill a need by providing a new Sienna is something our whole team here is excited about. We’re grateful for the opportunity to assist,” said Brian Sanders, president of Damian Lillard Toyota.
ABOUT LINFIELD UNIVERSITY
Linfield University is an independent, nonprofit university with campuses in McMinnville and Portland, Oregon, as well an eCampus for online learning. Since 1858, Linfield has connected traditional liberal arts experience with practical education through 54 majors, including wine studies, sport management and nursing. Linfield also offers interdisciplinary master’s degrees in business, nursing and sports sciences. For six years running, U.S. News & World Report has named Linfield one of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation when it comes to social mobility. Forty percent of Linfield undergraduates are first-generation college students, and 39% are U.S. students of color. Linfield competes in the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference. Learn more at www.linfield.edu.
ABOUT TOYOTA
Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands, and directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America (nearly 48,000 in the U.S.).
For almost 70 years, Toyota has assembled nearly 47 million cars and trucks in North America at the company’s 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, the company’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
Through our more than 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.), Toyota sold more than 2.7 million cars and trucks (more than 2.3 million in the U.S.) in 2024, of which more than 43 percent were electrified vehicles (full battery, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell).
