News Release

Borderlands Restoration Network was announced as a finalist in the Community Services category in the fourth annual ‘Defender Service Awards’ presented by Chase Bank. 

Public voting will take place from October 2, 2024, through October 17, 2024 to determine the winners in each of the six categories of the 2024 Defender Service Awards. The winning organizations will receive a new Land Rover Defender 130 vehicle that will be fully customized to best address their needs, and awarded $25,000 by their category sponsor, empowering them to further their missions. The public may make one vote per person per day. To view the finalist videos and vote, please visit Defender Service Awards.

“We are thrilled to be finalists in this year’s Defender Service Awards, and I’m so proud of my team that created the video,” said Laura Wenzel, Development Professional. “Winning a brand new Defender 130 that is built to withstand rugged terrain would be a game changer for our organization since we frequently work in remote areas. Now, it’s in the hands of the public, who I hope will be inspired by the amazing work that our program staff at BRN do every day and vote for us.” 

The awards showcase Land Rover’s longstanding commitment to aiding and honoring organizations that serve their communities. Each of the 25 U.S. non-profit and Canadian registered charities across five categories reflects the Defender brand’s enduring commitment to positively impacting communities through acts of service and humanitarian efforts worldwide. 

Corporate partners have joined this initiative to provide further support for the respective organizations across the different categories. Chase Bank, as presenting sponsor, will donate $5,000 to each of the five finalists per category, for a total of $150,000. A new premier partner, S&P Global has joined as a sponsor of the awards program. Category sponsors include Outside Interactive Inc., ei3 Corp., Pelican, Hearts & Sciences, and Disney. Each category sponsor will donate $25,000 to its respective category winner. 

The winning organization from each of the six categories will be announced at this year’s Destination Defender event Nov. 23 in Malibu, CA.