HR0662 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0662 LRB101 17516 MST 66927 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Bowlers to Veterans Link (BVL) is a national nonprofit charity that supports America's veterans and active duty service men and woman through recreational therapy programs and services to speed recuperation and boost morale to brighten their lives; and

WHEREAS, BVL was founded in 1942 and is the sport of bowling's oldest charity; it is also the sport's most successful charity, raising over $50 million dollars, which provides non-government funded extras to support veterans and active duty service men and women; BVL's first campaign during World War II raised money to purchase medical evacuation planes to ferry the wounded home from the battlefields of Europe; and

WHEREAS, BVL's annual tournament was first introduced in the spring of 1946 when U.S. troops were returning home from the battlefields of Europe and Asia, and the country was anxious to turn the corner from war; there were celebrations across the land, but one celebration was truly a celebration of spirit, involving wounded veterans receiving care at the growing network of VA Medical Centers; it was a celebration of triumph over tragedy as they struggled to return to a sport they once enjoyed; the competition, the annual Bowlers to Veterans Link/Department of Veterans Affairs Bowling Tournament, now marks its 73rd year; and

WHEREAS, BVL also supported the dependents of those killed during Operation Desert Storm with academic scholarships for college, and BVL has shipped more than 550 portable carpet bowling lane kits to active duty troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and numerous other locales, including to the USS Enterprise and the USS Ronald Reagan; and

WHEREAS, The BVL annual tournament is a great opportunity for VA patients to be involved in a healthy, active leisure interest while addressing their goals and applying or learning needed skills which improve their quality of life; and

WHEREAS, BVL grants provide arts and crafts, music and sport activities, reading materials, board games, and much more to help boost the spirits, speed the recuperation, and improve the morale of military personnel and veterans; it also supports veterans recuperating in VA medical centers, VET centers, and state veteran homes; and

WHEREAS, BVL responds to veterans in need, recuperating veterans, veterans suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and aging veterans, giving them an outlet for the joy, freedom, and friendship that recreation and sport can bring; and

WHEREAS, BVL is a member of the National Veterans Day Organizing Committee and the Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service National Advisory Committee; it is part of the America Supports You network coordinated by the Pentagon; BVL is the winner of the Department of Veterans Affairs Award for Excellence, and BVL representatives have won the Secretary's Award, the highest honor from the VA; BVL is the recipient of the International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum's 20th Century Award; BVL is touted as a "major industry success" and has won the Bowling Writers of America John O. Martino Award for Outstanding Contributions to Bowling; and

WHEREAS, Measured against other charities, BVL prides itself on one of the lowest overhead percentages at just 6%, maintaining their commitment to insure that America's veterans are the recipients of the most funds possible; and

WHEREAS, BVL is America's only national sports organization specifically devoted to those who have served our country; and

WHEREAS, BVL has received the Best in America seal of approval by America's Best Charities; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the commitment to our military personnel and veterans made by The Bowlers to Veterans Link, and we wish them many more successful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to BVL as an expression of our esteem and respect.