Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada Wins Defender Service Award as Program Recognizes North American Charities

• Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada won the Outdoor Accessibility and Education Award.

• Three Canadian organizations won categories in the 2025 Defender Service Awards.

• Defender will return with the awards program in 2026 for its sixth year.

Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada is the Canadian highlight of the 2025 Defender Service Awards Presented by Chase, winning the Outdoor Accessibility and Education Award for its work bringing seriously ill children and children with accessibility needs into outdoor recreation.

The Dorval, Que.-based charity will receive a customized Defender 130 and US$30,000 in award funding. The prize is designed to support organizations whose work depends on reaching people, places and communities that can be difficult to access with conventional vehicles.

For Starlight, the vehicle is expected to support programming that gives children facing serious illness the chance to take part in outdoor activities outside hospital settings. Its Motomax program introduces children to experiences involving ATVs, snowmobiles and hovercrafts, with activities adapted around medical and mobility needs.

The Defender 130’s role is practical. The vehicle can carry people, gear and support equipment, while also serving as backup transportation in remote settings. For programs involving children with complex medical needs, reliability and access are central to planning.

Defender selected 25 finalists across five main categories for the 2025 awards. Each finalist received US$5,000 from Chase, while category winners received a customized Defender 130 and US$30,000 from category sponsors. A sixth category, Defender Service Honourees, gave past finalists another chance to win.

Starlight’s win also gives the 2025 awards a strong Canadian presence. Three Canadian organizations won categories in the program: Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada, Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society and Chilliwack Search & Rescue.

The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society won the Animal, Wildlife and Marine Mammal Welfare Award, presented by Disney. The Vancouver-based organization rescues, rehabilitates and releases marine mammals along the British Columbia coast, including animals stranded or injured in difficult coastal locations.

Chilliwack Search & Rescue won the Search, Rescue and Emergency Support Services Award, presented by Pelican. The volunteer organization responds to emergencies across the Fraser Valley, including remote trail, river and mountain incidents where access can be limited by terrain.

The Community Services category award was handed to Feeding Northeast Florida of Jacksonville, Fla. The Veteran and Civil Servant Outreach category winner was Jason’s Box of Paris, Ky. And finally, the Defender Service Honourees Award, presented by S&P Global Mobility, created for previous finalists from 2021 to 2024 who had not won in their original categories, was given to West Place Animal Sanctuary of Tiverton, R.I.

Defender said the Service Awards program has delivered 30 customized Defender vehicles and more than US$1.5 million since it began in 2021. The awards are intended to support charitable organizations that rely on transportation for outreach, rescue, conservation, accessibility and emergency response.

The 2025 winners were announced at Destination Defender in Temecula, Calif. Public voting determined the winners after finalists were selected across the categories.

The Defender 130 awarded to winners includes seating for up to eight, off-road capability, cargo space and towing capacity. Those features align with the needs of organizations moving children, volunteers, rescue equipment, animals or supplies across difficult operating environments.

For Canada, Starlight’s win is special because it connects automotive capability with accessibility and pediatric support rather than conventional fleet use. The award gives the foundation a new tool for programs built around mobility, inclusion and outdoor experiences for children whose medical needs often limit travel options.

The Defender Service Awards return in 2026 for a sixth year. The program will again recognize charitable organizations in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, with six customized Defender 130 vehicles to be awarded across six categories.