Park City's National Ability Center could win a customized Land Rover Defender 130 and $30,000 in funding if Basin residents help push it to the top of an online vote that opened July 29 and runs through Friday, Aug. 14.
The nonprofit, which has provided adaptive recreation in Park City for more than 40 years, is one of five finalists in the Outdoor Accessibility & Education category of the sixth annual Defender Service Awards presented by CHASE. Supporters can cast one vote per day at landroverusa.com.
What the prize would mean
If the NAC wins, the Defender 130 would transport participants and adaptive equipment to remote trailheads, mountain biking destinations, climbing areas and rafting access points across Utah where standard vehicles struggle to reach. The SUV features 11.5 inches of ground clearance, Terrain Response capability and 8,200 pounds of towing capacity.
The $30,000 award would further the organization's mission of making outdoor recreation accessible to people with disabilities. The NAC already serves more than 5,500 participants annually and hosts over 32,000 experiences and lessons each year, including adaptive skiing, cycling, horseback riding, rafting, archery and climbing. It operates its main campus in Park City and a satellite location in Moab.
Roughly 612,000 adults in Utah experience a disability, according to CDC data cited in a recent Park Record report on Park City's new accessibility verification.
The competition
The NAC is up against four other nonprofits: RuckusRoots (Los Angeles), Spirit North (Canmore, Alberta), SOS Outreach (Edwards, Colorado) and Special Olympics Missouri. Winners will be announced at Destination Defender in Temecula, California, the weekend of Friday, Sept. 11.
Regardless of the vote outcome, each finalist receives a $5,000 donation from CHASE. Since 2021, the Defender Service Awards program has distributed more than $1.5 million and 30 customized vehicles to nonprofits across North America, according to Outside Online.
How NAC serves the community
Development and Events Manager Madison Lambdin captured the organization's ethos in a July 28 Park Record story about the upcoming Summit Challenge bike fundraiser: "One of the things I love most about the National Ability Center is that we create moments people never thought were possible … Whether it's someone's first time riding a bike, skiing or simply feeling included, those moments stay with them forever."
The NAC's McGrath Mountain Center, a 9,400-square-foot facility at the base of Park City Mountain that opened in 2023, serves adaptive ski and snowboard programs on land provided through a 50-year lease donated by Vail Resorts.
