The Defense Fund is set up to fund the legal activities of front line organizations working to protect the environmental quality of the Ojai Valley. However, our premise only works to the extent that there exists a robust community of organizations doing this work. For this reason, we have established two awards, the John Broesamle Founders Award  and the James D. Loebl Award, to recognize the too-often unheralded people and organizations in our community whose efforts contribute to the public benefit. It is our hope that by shining a spotlight on their work, we not only give them the credit and gratitude they are due, but that we also encourage and inspire others to join them in their ongoing efforts to protect our treasured valley.