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00:00 The Defender Service Awards presented by Chase returns for a third year to recognize charitable
00:06 organizations for their extraordinary work in six categories. The winning organizations will
00:11 receive a new Defender 130 vehicle along with $25,000 from the category sponsor.
00:16 Taking place in Somerville, Texas, 12 finalists of the Defender Service Awards
00:22 joined Destination Defender, a weekend celebration of the Defender lifestyle.
00:26 The highlight was the Defender Service Awards winners announcement and the celebration dinner.
00:31 You don't really know what you're getting into when you hear that you're going to
00:34 Destination Defender and you get this immediate sense of welcome and excitement.
00:38 Destination Defender was really, really fantastic to get to know everyone.
00:42 Everyone's organizations are so worthy and so amazing.
00:45 Having a chance to meet all the other colleagues as I call them, I won from the day I arrived.
00:52 To be included in that group of people who are really out changing the face of North America
00:58 was such an honor, but also so exciting to get to hear their stories of what they're doing and
01:03 how they would use the Defender and the ways that we can work together moving forward.
01:07 The Defender Service Awards is our chance to recognize organizations whose compassionate
01:17 acts of service and integrity embody the true heroism of Defender.
01:22 And for our first award, the Suamese Search and Rescue Society.
01:28 Thank you.
01:30 We do backcountry search and rescues. We're one of the busiest teams in all of BC.
01:36 This Defender will be a huge benefit to our organization. Right now, it's really hard to
01:41 get out to some of the remote places that we have. We have helicopters sometimes, but
01:46 we don't always have that. And there's a lot of people that wait for our services,
01:49 so this will definitely, definitely save lives.
01:51 Manitoba Underdogs Rescue, Inc.
01:55 We work to re-home dogs that are abandoned, surrendered, or strayed,
02:01 as well as we work with First Nations communities providing access to veterinary care.
02:06 And we really strive to keep animals with their families in the North.
02:10 I am most excited to get this Defender 130 on the road with us.
02:13 I'm excited for our first snowstorm and see how we can get through those roads and not get stuck
02:18 and waste precious time pushing a vehicle out of a snowbank.
02:21 I never, ever pictured we'd be at something like this, on this grand scale.
02:25 This entire experience has been insane.
02:28 The Youth Sports Alliance.
02:32 When you get into non-profit work, you never picture this.
02:37 This is like the Oscars or something. It's just unbelievable.
02:42 The Youth Sports Alliance was founded after the 2002 Olympic Games
02:46 to get as many kids outside and active as possible.
02:49 Our scholarship rate is about 1 in 5.
02:52 When we don't provide transportation, it falls to 1 in 19.
02:55 So this vehicle is really important to be able to transport more kids to our programs.
03:01 The Charleston Animal Society.
03:04 Charleston Animal Society, we see animals in their time of need,
03:11 get them the medical care that they need, get them the food and nourishment that they need,
03:16 and introduce them to the people that will become their new family.
03:19 The Defender 130 is going to help us reach animals that need our help the most.
03:23 We need to reach animals in any type of situation, whether they are impacted by flooding
03:28 or animals in very rural, remote areas that can be kind of hard to get to with most vehicles.
03:33 Kairos Adventures.
03:37 Thank you so much, Land Rover. This entire experience has been incredible.
03:41 At Kairos Adventures, our mission is to empower teens and adults with special needs
03:47 to discover and develop their unique purpose and develop their talents to give back to the world.
03:51 Winning a Defender is really going to help us get more of our participants
03:56 out in the community serving other people.
03:58 To have our logo on the side of our vehicle as we travel around town and we're serving people,
04:04 for people to see that and to see our friends who have varying abilities getting in and out of that
04:10 car, just showing the world like, "Hey, we're making a difference. We're doing this." It's
04:15 everything and more.
04:16 The Honor House Society.
04:20 So at Honor House, we're 24/7/365 because our men and women in uniform and/or their families,
04:28 when they need severe treatment from all over British Columbia,
04:32 will come and stay there for as long as they need at no cost because we're quite remote.
04:37 With the Defender 130, I just know and seeing the capacity and the capability it can do
04:42 in some of our heavy terrain will make a world of difference for us.
04:46 This vehicle will change lives.
04:48 Cheers to all the amazing charities here tonight and across the nation.