The science on the benefits of volunteering says it all: Doing good is good for your health. And now the effort you put into supporting your local charity or cause, along with the rush of positive emotion you get from doing this work (characterized as a “helper’s high”), is also your chance to win $25,000 and some brand-new wheels for the organization you support.
As a brand that has always prioritized serving communities and families, Land Rover is thrilled to bring back the Defender Service Awards, presented by Chase, for a third year. The expanded program honors US, Canadian and Puerto Rican organizations with a $25K cash prize and a custom Defender 130 vehicle. At the Good Housekeeping Institute, our experts were so impressed by this vehicle that it earned a GH Best New Family Car Award after months of rigorous testing.
“The Defender Service Awards are a beloved initiative that we are proud to bring back again,” said Joe Eberhardt, president and CEO of Jaguar and Land Rover North America. “Celebrating the organizations that make a difference in our communities speaks to the core of the Defender brand, that is most powerful when it’s on a mission to help others.” The best part: It’s so easy to enter.
How to Enter The Defender Service Awards and win a Custom Defender 130
This year, Land Rover is awarding $25K and a custom Defender 130 vehicle to six different US, Canadian or Puerto Rican nonprofits that support their communities daily. Land Rover is accepting applicants across the following categories:
Submissions for all categories are now open on Land Rover’s website. The deadline to enter is July 21 at 5 pm ET
Meet last year’s Land Rover Defender Service Award winners
In 2022, Land Rover announced the five winners of its second annual Defender Service Awards. Winners were selected based on their outstanding service and unwavering loyalty to their local communities.
Search and Rescue Award, presented by Pelican
Winner: Sauvetage Bénévole Outaouais – Ottawa Volunteer Search and Rescue | Ottawa, ON
A volunteer-based search and rescue organization, Sauvetage Bénévole Outaouais – Ottawa Volunteer Search and Rescue (SBO-OVSAR) aims to provide search and rescue services, deliver public education programs to help people enjoy the outdoors safely and assist communities during emergencies.
Veteran Outreach Award, presented by dentsu X
Winner: Patriot Service Dogs | Marion County, FL
Training dogs to assist veterans with PTSD, military sexual trauma, traumatic brain injuries and other mobility issues, Patriot Service Dogs honorably support all veterans who would benefit from a service dog (free of charge, of course).
Animal Welfare Award, presented by KONG
Winner: Appalachian Bear Rescue | Townsend, TN
For more than 26 years, the Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR) team has cared for over 360 young bears across nine states and the National Park Service. They care for orphaned and injured black bear cubs so they can return to their homes. They also increase public awareness about coexisting with black bears and study all aspects of returning cubs to the wild.
Community Services Award, presented by ei3
Winner: Mercy Chefs | Portsmouth, VA
Natural disasters often devastate local communities, so Mercy Chefs provide professionally prepared quality meals and clean water to communities that need it, including displaced victims, volunteers and first responders. It has served over 20 million meals in 150 disasters across 29 states and 12 countries with the help of 10,000 volunteers.
Environmental and Conservation Award, presented by OUTSIDE Interactive, Inc.
Winner: Green Lake Association | Green Lake, WI
Small but powerful, the Green Lake Association safeguards the deepest natural inland lake in Wisconsin, modeling its approach through the Lake Michigan basin and across the globe. It shrunk community alert times for harmful algal bloom from weeks to minutes and restored a brook trout species that had been missing for 70 years.
What are you waiting for? Submissions for all 2023 categories are now open on Land Rover’s website. The deadline to enter is July 21 at 5 pm ET
Assistant to the General Manager
Abigail (she/her) covers everything from kitchen gear to mattresses and smart blinds for the Institute, as well as assisting the General Manager in any number of projects. She graduated from Louisiana State University with a BA in creative writing, as well as earning her MS in digital publishing and print media from New York University. Before GH, she worked at LSU Press and The Southern Review literary magazine. In her free time you can find her quilting, cross-stitching or trying to figure out how to squeeze one more bookcase in her tiny apartment.
