West Place Animal Sanctuary has won the top prize in the 2025 Defender Service Awards, culminating a five-year effort by the Rhode Island farm animal rescue organization.
The Tiverton-based nonprofit was named winner in the Honorees category on November 15 at an awards ceremony in Temecula, California, following a 17-day public voting campaign in October. West Place competed against 26 U.S. and Canadian nonprofits for the distinction.
Founder and Executive Director Wendy Taylor accepted the award at Destination Defender while volunteers, student interns, board members, and staff gathered at the sanctuary to watch via live stream as West Place was announced as the final winner of the evening.
“This is an incredible honor and our deepest thanks go to Defender, presenting sponsor Chase, and Honorees category sponsor S&P Global,” Taylor said. “West Place is profoundly appreciative and grateful for our supporters in the community. Their daily votes are what finally propelled us to the top.”
The win is especially meaningful after West Place finished in second place in 2024. This marked the fifth consecutive year the organization participated in the competition.
“West Place is a small, but mighty, nonprofit in the smallest state in the nation,” Taylor said. “Yet we were able to rally support throughout the Ocean State and beyond to show the world what Rhode Islanders are all about. This is a shared honor with our compassionate community.”
Transformational prize
As the Honorees category winner, West Place will receive a custom Defender 130 vehicle and $30,000 in funding to support its mission of rescuing, rehabilitating, and caring for abused and neglected farm animals.
“The Defender 130 will expand our capacity to rescue and rehabilitate underserved animal populations, respond to emergencies, and forever change the lives of both animals and our student interns,” Taylor said. “It is truly transformational.”
The Defender Service Awards, now in its fifth year, were established to honor nonprofit and charitable organizations that embody the spirit of Defender, the British adventure brand.
A win for farm animals
Taylor emphasized that the recognition extends beyond the organization itself.
“Not only is this a proud achievement for West Place and the state of Rhode Island, this is an important win for farm animals,” she said. “Our animals never give up, and neither do we. We kept at it, year after year, knowing that our efforts would shine a spotlight on farm animal welfare. Ultimately, it is these intelligent, sentient, and deserving animals who have won.”
It will take several months for the awards to be disbursed and for West Place to work with Defender on customizing the new vehicle.
In the meantime, supporters can visit the sanctuary during the Holiday Shop & Stroll on November 28-29, the organization’s final public visitors weekend of the year.
Founded in 2007, West Place Animal Sanctuary is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the oldest and largest sanctuary of its kind in Rhode Island. The organization is also a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility that assists sick, injured, and orphaned waterfowl and game birds.
For more information, visit WestPlace.org.