Lum's Toyota community involvement starts with a simple idea: we live here, so we care how the place we share is doing. As a family-owned dealership in Warrenton, we support schools, children, and health and wellness across Clatsop County and Pacific County. You can read about our community involvement online, or contact us with questions.
Rooted in the Oregon Coast: How Lum's Toyota Gives Back
We give through scholarships, sponsorships, and employee volunteering, and our family also takes on civic leadership roles. Checks are only part of it. Our service area covers the North Coast and reaches into neighboring Southwest Washington, and we try to show up for everyone in it.
Decades of Local Ownership and Why It Shapes Our Giving
David Lum founded the dealership in Astoria in 1969, and our permanent Warrenton location opened in 2008. Over more than 50 years, we’ve built lasting relationships with residents, schools and community groups, from our 2011 “Where Are the Lum’s Girls?” campaign, which featured a local business or nonprofit each week by offering a free product or service at their location, to the programs we support today. As Lori Lum puts it, “Family is the foundation of all that we do at Lum’s.” Learn more about our family-owned story.
Scholarships for Graduating Seniors in Clatsop and Pacific Counties
Scholarships help graduating students pursue further education, and they recognize what those students have contributed to their schools and neighbors. Our scholarships go through local scholarship partners, so students apply through those programs rather than through us.
Who Can Apply and What Supports Local Students
Graduating seniors in Clatsop and Pacific counties are considered based on academic excellence, leadership, extracurricular involvement, work experience, and community service. Our scholarship partners are Astoria High School Scholarship Inc., Warrenton High School Scholarships Inc., Seaside Scholarships Inc., Knappa Schools Foundation, and Ilwaco High School Community Scholarships.
Students apply through the scholarship program at their own school, and each program sets its own eligibility, application materials and deadlines. Talk with your school counselor early in your senior year so you don’t miss a deadline.
Education Partnerships With Local Schools
Support for students extends past scholarships. We offer career and work-experience opportunities, and we back student sports, arts programs, car-seat safety events, and veterans' breakfasts. Our own employees can also take part in Degrees at Work, a no-cost education program.
Camp Kiwanilong, on Long Lake in Warrenton, holds a special place for our family. Many Lums, including David Lum, attended the camp, and Lori Lum has worked to make it accessible for children with disabilities. In 2020, Lum’s Auto Center joined Pacific Seafood, Providence Seaside Hospital and the Warrenton-Hammond School District to bring Wi-Fi to the camp, supporting hybrid and on-site learning for up to 400 local students.
Nonprofit Partnerships Supporting Health, Education, and Families
Most of our giving goes toward education, children, and health and wellness. Families also need food security and chances for kids to take part in community life. Nonprofits already know their neighbors, so we like to support the work they do.
Types of Organizations Lum's Toyota Supports
On the health side, we work with Columbia Memorial Hospital Foundation, Providence Seaside Hospital and Ocean Beach Health Foundation. In 2020, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Lum’s donated $5,000 to the CMH Foundation’s Arm-in-Arm Fund, which helps cancer patients cover household expenses during treatment.
In 2021, the Gordon David Lum Trust donated $435,000 toward Columbia Memorial Hospital’s purchase of the former Lum’s Auto building in downtown Astoria, so a building that served the community as an auto dealership for nearly a century now houses health care providers. Youth sports partners include Knappa Kids Athletics, Warrenton Kids, Seaside Kids, Astoria Future Fish and the Naselle Sports Club.
Education and youth initiatives include the Gearhart Playground Project, MERTS, a nearby school’s automotive program, SMART Reading and Camp Kiwanilong. Cultural partners include the Columbia River Maritime Museum, the Liberty Theatre in Astoria and the Columbia River Symphony, and our giving also reaches food banks and veterans’ groups.
Sponsorships and Community Giving Across the Oregon Coast
We sponsor the Ocean Beach Health Foundation’s annual golf tournament, and we’re proud to support some of the North Coast’s best-loved traditions, including the Astoria Regatta, the Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival and the Clatsop County Fair, along with vehicle and transportation support for Miss Oregon.
Over the years, we’ve also been part of events like the Astoria-Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival. Recurring partnerships like these help organizations plan beyond a single fundraiser, and we review each request individually.
Local Events and Volunteer Efforts
Our team gives time as well as funds. Beyond cleanups, holiday giving and monthly employee-led donations, we’ve welcomed home local veterans, celebrated Warrenton Police Appreciation Week and supported projects like Astoria’s Scandinavian Park.
Beach and Highway Cleanups
Our employees take part in an annual beach cleanup near the Peter Iredale, and we have partnered with SOLVE Oregon. We also hold quarterly Highway 101 cleanups in Warrenton, along the route from Ensign Lane and Highway 101 toward Camp Rilea. These are simple efforts, but they help care for places our neighbors use every day.
12 Days of Christmas
12 Days of Christmas is our annual holiday program for local nonprofits and organizations in times of need. It reaches food banks and veterans' groups, along with families needing extra help.
Employee-Driven Volunteering and Pitchin' In
Since 2022, our Pitchin’ In program has given every team member a voice in our giving. Each month, employees choose a local nonprofit, donate at least $10 each and wear matching shirts to show their support, and Lum’s matches every dollar raised. When we launched the program, we set out to support Clatsop County organizations like The Harbor, the Clatsop County Animal Shelter and Clatsop CASA, which trains community members to advocate for abused and neglected children.
Board Service and Civic Involvement
Members of the Lum family serve on boards throughout Clatsop County, and our team does too: team member Stephanie serves on the Knappa Schools Foundation board. Lori Lum served four years on the Seaside School Board, where she helped secure funding for a new school facility, and serves as secretary of the Oregon Auto Dealers Association board. Her years of service helped earn her a nomination for the 2025 TIME Dealer of the Year award, one of only 49 dealers nominated from more than 20,000 nationwide.
Board work means meetings and planning, and it keeps us accountable and listening to local needs instead of guessing. We are also members of the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Seaside Chamber of Commerce.
How to Partner With Lum's Toyota
Organizations can start with our online Donation Request Form. A committee reviews requests on the first and third Tuesday of each month and contacts applicants whose requests are selected. We are honest about this: not every request can be funded. Submitting early gives the committee time to review. Scholarship questions are separate and go through the student's school program. For anything else, contact us.
What to Include in a Donation or Sponsorship Request
Have these details ready before you fill out the form:
Your name, phone, and email.
The name of your organization or charitable event.
The event date and location.
A clear explanation of your organization or charitable event.
The donation amount or items you are requesting.
Whether you bought a vehicle from us in the past two years.
Whether you currently service a vehicle with us.
Why Community Partnerships Matter to Lum's Toyota
Many of our employees and customers are parents and neighbors, and plenty volunteer too, so the strength of local schools, services, and organizations matters to us personally. Long-term relationships let us listen and adjust as needs change. Lum's Toyota community involvement rests on trust built through steady action, and on giving back to the communities that have supported our family since 1969. Shared well-being on the Oregon Coast is something we hope to help build for years to come.
Visit Lum's Toyota in Warrenton, Oregon
We’d love to hear how we can help your community. Stop by our Warrenton showroom at 1605 SE Ensign Lane, Warrenton, OR 97146, call 503-861-1144, or submit a donation request online. And if you need a vehicle or service while you’re here, browse our new and pre-owned vehicles or visit our service center.
Since 1969, the North Coast has given our family so much, and giving back is how we say thank you. From scholarships for local graduates to the nonprofits that care for our neighbors, we’re proud to keep investing in the communities we call home.