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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Bowlers to Veterans Link (BVL) is a national
3nonprofit charity that supports America's veterans and active
4duty service men and woman through recreational therapy
5programs and services to speed recuperation and boost morale to
6brighten their lives; and
 
7    WHEREAS, BVL was founded in 1942 and is the sport of
8bowling's oldest charity; it is also the sport's most
9successful charity, raising over $50 million dollars, which
10provides non-government funded extras to support veterans and
11active duty service men and women; BVL's first campaign during
12World War II raised money to purchase medical evacuation planes
13to ferry the wounded home from the battlefields of Europe; and
 
14    WHEREAS, BVL's annual tournament was first introduced in
15the spring of 1946 when U.S. troops were returning home from
16the battlefields of Europe and Asia, and the country was
17anxious to turn the corner from war; there were celebrations
18across the land, but one celebration was truly a celebration of
19spirit, involving wounded veterans receiving care at the
20growing network of VA Medical Centers; it was a celebration of
21triumph over tragedy as they struggled to return to a sport
22they once enjoyed; the competition, the annual Bowlers to
23Veterans Link/Department of Veterans Affairs Bowling

 

 

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1Tournament, now marks its 73rd year; and
 
2    WHEREAS, BVL also supported the dependents of those killed
3during Operation Desert Storm with academic scholarships for
4college, and BVL has shipped more than 550 portable carpet
5bowling lane kits to active duty troops in Iraq, Afghanistan,
6and numerous other locales, including to the USS Enterprise and
7the USS Ronald Reagan; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The BVL annual tournament is a great opportunity
9for VA patients to be involved in a healthy, active leisure
10interest while addressing their goals and applying or learning
11needed skills which improve their quality of life; and
 
12    WHEREAS, BVL grants provide arts and crafts, music and
13sport activities, reading materials, board games, and much more
14to help boost the spirits, speed the recuperation, and improve
15the morale of military personnel and veterans; it also supports
16veterans recuperating in VA medical centers, VET centers, and
17state veteran homes; and
 
18    WHEREAS, BVL responds to veterans in need, recuperating
19veterans, veterans suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress
20Disorder), and aging veterans, giving them an outlet for the
21joy, freedom, and friendship that recreation and sport can
22bring; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, BVL is a member of the National Veterans Day
2Organizing Committee and the Department of Veterans Affairs
3Voluntary Service National Advisory Committee; it is part of
4the America Supports You network coordinated by the Pentagon;
5BVL is the winner of the Department of Veterans Affairs Award
6for Excellence, and BVL representatives have won the
7Secretary's Award, the highest honor from the VA; BVL is the
8recipient of the International Bowling Hall of Fame and
9Museum's 20th Century Award; BVL is touted as a "major industry
10success" and has won the Bowling Writers of America John O.
11Martino Award for Outstanding Contributions to Bowling; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Measured against other charities, BVL prides
13itself on one of the lowest overhead percentages at just 6%,
14maintaining their commitment to insure that America's veterans
15are the recipients of the most funds possible; and
 
16    WHEREAS, BVL is America's only national sports
17organization specifically devoted to those who have served our
18country; and
 
19    WHEREAS, BVL has received the Best in America seal of
20approval by America's Best Charities; therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE

 

 

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1HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
2we recognize the commitment to our military personnel and
3veterans made by The Bowlers to Veterans Link, and we wish them
4many more successful years; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
6presented to BVL as an expression of our esteem and respect.