Missouri Search and Rescue K-9 was named a finalist among Search and Rescue organizations in the Land Rover ‘Defender Service Awards’. The Blue Springs, Missouri charitable organization was recognized for its work in utilizing specially trained canine teams to help police, fire and emergency response agencies locate lost and missing persons throughout the Midwest and beyond. As a finalist, Missouri Search and Rescue K-9 will receive $5,000 from the presenting sponsor, CHASE.

Inspired by endless acts of service across the U.S. and Canada from extraordinary citizens, Land Rover launched the ‘Defender Service Awards’ last year to celebrate U.S. and Canadian-based charitable organizations that are making a positive impact in their local community. To honor the legacy of Defender vehicles aiding organizations who serve their communities, Land Rover will award a specially outfitted Land Rover Defender 130 SUV to the five winning organizations based on Public Vote, to help further their charitable efforts, plus $25,000 from the category sponsor.

Public voting opens October 21, 2022, through November 6, 2022 on LandRoverUSA.com. The winners for all five categories will be announced on November 12, at Destination Defender, a weekend celebration of the Defender lifestyle located in the New York Hudson Valley. For more information about Destination Defender, please visit LandRoverUSA.com.

“Our sincere gratitude goes out to the over 800 charitable organizations who submitted entries for this year’s Defender Service Awards.” said Joe Eberhardt, President & CEO, Jaguar Land Rover North America. “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.”

“Our organization would like to thank Land Rover and is extremely honored to be selected as a finalist for the Land Rover ‘Defender Service Awards’.” states Melanie Fields, Vice President, Missouri Search and Rescue K-9. “As a small volunteer team that operates very discreetly to assist law enforcement and fire departments, winning a Land Rover Defender along with $25,000 would significantly impact our organization. This equipment and funding would streamline our response to critical incidents and save lives. Please take a moment to vote at the link on our Facebook or Instagram pages. Help us continue to serve Missouri, Kansas, and the Midwest by voting for Missouri Search and Rescue K-9!”

To learn more about the 25 Finalists across the 5 categories of the Defender Service Awards Presented by CHASE, see links below.

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 K9 Unit (Blue Springs, MO)

For information on the Land Rover ‘Defender Service Awards,’ please visit LandRoverUSA.com or follow @LandRoverUSA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

For more information about Missouri Search and Rescue K-9, please visit missourisearchandrescue.com or follow Missouri Search and Rescue K-9 on Facebook Instagram, or at MissouriSearchandRescue.com.