For greater than 70 years, the Land Rover Defender has been the automobile of alternative for individuals making a constructive dent on the earth. That’s why Land Rover launched the Defender Service Awards—to acknowledge and help organizations which might be contributing to the well being of their communities, the setting, and extra. Now in its third yr, this system rewards winners with a personalized Defender 130 and a money prize. Public voting for the 2023 Defender Service Awards takes place from September 15 by October 4, so remember to click on right here to study extra, meet the finalists, and solid your vote.
And sure, your vote issues. This previous yr, 5 winners every went house with a Defender 130 and $25,000, and 25 finalists took house a further $5,000 every courtesy of title sponsor CHASE. It will get even higher in 2023: this yr, six Defender 130 automobiles shall be awarded, class sponsors (Animal Planet, Pelican, ei3, Hearts and Science, and Exterior Interactive) will donate $25,000 every to the winners, and all 30 finalists will every get a further money prize from CHASE ($5,000) and Warner Bros. Discovery ($2,500). That type of help can remodel a nonprofit’s packages, current and future. Listed here are two of final yr’s profitable nonprofits and the way their essential work is benefiting from the award.
Mercy Cooks
Group Companies Award (Offered by ei3)
“Simply go feed individuals.” As a mission assertion, it’s arduous to get extra clear. That’s what Mercy Cooks has been doing since 2006, however the readability of the nonprofit’s mission can obscure an underlying perception that the group delivers with each plate of meals: one thing wonderful occurs over a shared meal. The Virginia-based nonprofit isn’t simply delivering energy, it’s additionally spreading love, connection, and group.
Mercy Cooks does this on a number of fronts: feeding victims, volunteers, and first responders after pure disasters; creating group kitchens in choose areas; and delivering grocery bins to food-insecure populations. That provides as much as hundreds of thousands of meals. Its cell kitchens alone can prepare dinner and serve 20,000 sizzling meals per day.
That’s the place the Defender Service Award is available in. “Including the Defender 130 to our fleet of automobiles lets us attain distant areas with meals,” says Nick Beckman, director of logistics and amenities at Mercy Cooks. “When the Virginia Seaside twister struck proper in our yard, the Defender 130 went with our response workforce. When telephones are down and roads are a multitude, we are able to simply load 300 meals into the Defender 130 and go. We all the time wish to be sooner responding to disasters, and the Defender 130 makes me really feel assured we are able to ship anybody nearly anyplace.” Watch Mercy Cooks in motion right here.
Appalachian Bear Rescue
Animal Welfare Award (Offered by KONG)
The bear inhabitants is rising within the Southeast, which suggests extra orphaned cubs and injured yearlings that need assistance. Fortunately, Appalachian Bear Rescue, the Tennessee-based rehabilitation and schooling nonprofit that received the 2022 Animal Welfare Award, is properly geared up for the job.
“The Defender 130 permits us to do what we do higher,” says Dana Dodd, government director of Appalachian Bear Rescue. “It’s a way more dependable automobile than the older automobiles we have now. It’s safer to take rescue calls and is much extra suited to move supporters and company to bear launch occasions.” Yearly, the group cares for about 30 rescued bears, working with wildlife officers to determine animals in want, after which rehabbing and releasing them again into the wild.
Whereas the useful advantages of the Defender 130 are clear, Dodd says there are additionally intangible advantages which might be simply as vital. “The largest impression has been the advertising and marketing and title recognition that the Defender 130 brings to Appalachian Bear Rescue,” Dodd says. “We’ve by no means had a automobile with our emblem or a automobile that’s so simply recognizable. Each time we drive the brand new Defender 130, of us discover us and study our mission.” Watch the workforce within the area right here.
In terms of treating sick and injured younger bears, the College of Tennessee School of Veterinary Medication provides discounted care to the fees of Appalachian Bear Rescue. However prices nonetheless add up. “The $25,000 donation from class sponsor KONG has actually saved the lives of our younger bears,” says Dodd. “And KONG additionally donated a giant field of their toys for our cubs. We’ve truly used KONG toys with our cubs for a few years. We use them as a result of they’re powerful they usually stand as much as the bear check. Our cubs love them.”
See Appalachian Bear Rescue in motion: take a look at these movies of the workforce releasing 4 yearlings in early July.
Based in 1948, Land Rover designs and engineers its automobiles in the UK. For over 70 years the model has constructed a repute for offering its clientele with a number of the most luxurious and succesful automobiles on the earth, whether or not driving by the center of the town or traversing the countryside on- and off-road. As we speak’s Land Rover lineup consists of the Defender, Discovery and Discovery Sport, Vary Rover, Vary Rover Sport, Vary Rover Velar, and Vary Rover Evoque. Land Rover is totally engaged with sustainability initiatives and social issues with steady involvement in environmental and group packages. For extra data, go to the official Land Rover web sites for the USA, www.landroverusa.com, or for Canada www.landrover.ca. Be taught extra in regards to the Defender Service Awards and former winners right here.
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