- Defender Service Awards presented by Chase returns for the second year to recognize organizations for their extraordinary work in five categories: Animal Welfare, Veterans Outreach, Environmental and Conservation, Community Services, and Search and Rescue
- Defender Service Awards has announced the 25 finalists across the 5 categories, representing charitable organizations across the US and Canada
- Each of the 25 finalists will receive $5,000 on behalf of Chase, the presenting sponsor, for a grand total of $125,000 donated
- Public voting is open October 21 through November 6. The 5 winners, as based on public vote, will be awarded a custom Defender 130 and $25,000 on behalf of category sponsors to enhance their future missions of service
- To view the videos of the 25 category finalists and vote for your category favorite, visit Defender Service Awards | Land Rover USA
- Category Winners will be announced on November 12, at ‘Destination Defender’, a weekend celebration of the Defender Lifestyle in the New York Hudson Valley
- For more information, visit LandRoverUSA.com
(MAHWAH, N.J.) – October 21, 2022 – Today, Land Rover announced the five finalists for each category for the second-annual 'Defender Service Awards’ Presented by CHASE, where U.S. non-profits and Canadian registered charities are recognized for making a positive impact in their local communities.
Partner brands have joined the second annual Defender Service Awards to further recognize these organizations' incredible service works. As the presenting sponsor, Chase Bank, will be donating $5,000 to each of the five finalists per category, totaling $125,000 in prize money.
Public voting will take place between October 21 - November 6, to determine the ultimate winners of the five categories of the 2022 Defender Service Awards. To view the finalist videos and vote for your favorite organization, please visit LandRoverUSA.com. The 5 winning organizations will receive custom Land Rover Defender 130 vehicles and be awarded $25,000 by the category sponsor.
The Defender 130 vehicle is all new for 2023, featuring three rows of seating for up to eight people and 88.9 cubic feet (2,516 liters) of load capacity. The Defender 130 vehicle is fully capable of assisting these organizations with transporting animals, gear, or volunteers with ease.
Winners of this year’s Defender Service Awards will be announced at Destination Defender, presented by CHASE, a premium weekend celebration curated for the Defender enthusiast. Taking place November 12-13, 2022, at Oz Farm in Saugerties, New York, the event will feature Defender inspired experiences including, live music, adventure activities, guest camping and glamping sites, learning seminars, heritage display, and an evening celebration announcing this year’s Defender Service Awards winners.
The finalists across all five categories are as follows:
Animal Welfare Award, Presented by KONG:
- Appalachian Bear Rescue (Townsend, TN)
- Charleston Animal Society (North Charleston, SC)
- Pitiful Paws Rescue (Chesapeake, OH)
- Ruff Haven Crisis Sheltering (Salt Lake City, UT)
- The Barnyard Sanctuary (Columbia, NJ)
Veterans Outreach Award, Presented by dentsu x:
- Military Mobility (Cody, WY)
- Patriot Service Dogs (Marion County, FL)
- Travis Mills Foundation (Mt. Vernon, ME)
- Helping Heroes Hunt (Quitman, TX)
- Warrior Freedom Service Dogs (Flintstone, GA)
Environmental and Conservation Award, Presented by OUTSIDE Interactive Inc:
- Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (New Orleans, LA)
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation (Sidney, British Columbia)
- Green Lake Association (Green Lake, WI)
- Kupu (Honolulu, HI)
- Henry’s Fork Foundation (Ashton, ID)
Community Services Award, Presented by ei3:
- Community Support Connections (Waterloo Region , Ontario)
- Mercy Chefs (Portsmouth, VA)
- Feedmore WNY (Buffalo, NY)
- Big City Mountaineers (Arvada, CO)
- CoolxDad (Houston, TX)
Search and Rescue Award, Presented by Pelican:
- Sauvetage Bénévole Outaouais Ottawa Volunteer Search and Rescue (Ottawa, Ontario)
- El Paso County Search and Rescue (Colorado Spring, CO)
- Alaska Dive Search, Rescue and Recovery (Anchorage, AK)
- Great Basin K-9 Search and Rescue, Inc. (Kamas, UT)
- Missouri Search and Rescue (Blue Springs, MO)
Our sincere gratitude goes out to the over 800 charitable organizations who submitted entries for this year’s Defender Service Awards. The twenty-five finalists captured a special spirit of service which is part of the fabric of our brand. We look forward to sharing the finalists’ entries with the public and wish them luck.”
Joe Eberhardt
President & CEO, Jaguar Land Rover North America
Inspired by the endless acts of service across the U.S. and Canada, Land Rover launched the 'Defender Service Awards' to celebrate charitable organizations' positive impact in their local community. To honor the 70-year + history of the brand and the legacy of the Land Rover Defender supporting humanitarian agencies worldwide, the brand is awarding custom outfitted Defender 130 SUVs to five organizations to help further their charitable efforts. To be considered for the awards, organizations had to be U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profits and Canadian registered charities whose efforts fall within the five categories outlined in the program.
To learn more about the 2022 Land Rover Defender, please visit LandRoverUSA.com .