SOS Outreach Named as Finalist for Land Rover Defender Service Awards
Youth mentorship nonprofit, SOS Outreach, has been named a finalist for the 2026 Defender Service Awards presented by Chase in the Outdoor Accessibility and Education category. This recognition honors nonprofit organizations that create meaningful opportunities for people to experience the outdoors.
The winners will be selected via public voting beginning on July 29 and running through August 14. If selected as the winner, SOS will receive $30,000 and a Land Rover Defender 130 – critical to supporting its programs.
SOS engages 600 youth in Park City and over 3,900 youth nationwide on an annual basis, connecting them to life-changing outdoor access through skiing and snowboarding while also pairing them with positive adult mentors. Since 1993, the organization has created access and opportunity for 80,000 young people, helping them build key life skills and instilling a lifetime love of the outdoors. Of the thousands of youth SOS engages, 69% identify as youth of color and 43% come from a household income of under $40,000.
“We’re incredibly honored to be recognized as a finalist alongside so many inspiring organizations making a difference in their communities,” says Seth Ehrlich, CEO of SOS Outreach. “The outdoors is a powerful place to grow, build relationships, and lead a healthy lifestyle, and yet it’s often inaccessible to so many of today’s youth. At SOS we are dedicated to breaking down those barriers to access and support from the Land Rover Defender Awards will be absolutely vital to helping us achieve that.”
Since launching in 2021, the Land Rover Defender Awards have given more than $1.5 million in funding to organizations advancing their mission. This year it will fund 6 nonprofits across 6 different categories of causes ranging from environment to search and rescue and more.
If awarded the funding, SOS plans to use it to guarantee outdoor access for youth, “it would be significant to win this award and would ensure that no child is turned away from the outdoors due to cost, cultural barriers, or any other obstacles,” says Ehrlich.
SOS is encouraging members of the community to vote for them as the winner once voting opens on Wednesday, July 29. Members of the public can vote once per day every day until August 14. To make it simple, text SOS to 970-535-2009 for a daily reminder to vote.
Voting will be available here: https://www.landroverusa.com/experiences/events-and-sponsorships/defender-service-awards/index.html
