Full Text of HR0662 101st General Assembly
HR0662 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The Bowlers to Veterans Link (BVL) is a national | 3 | | nonprofit charity that supports America's veterans and active | 4 | | duty service men and woman through recreational therapy | 5 | | programs and services to speed recuperation and boost morale to | 6 | | brighten their lives; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, BVL was founded in 1942 and is the sport of | 8 | | bowling's oldest charity; it is also the sport's most | 9 | | successful charity, raising over $50 million dollars, which | 10 | | provides non-government funded extras to support veterans and | 11 | | active duty service men and women; BVL's first campaign during | 12 | | World War II raised money to purchase medical evacuation planes | 13 | | to ferry the wounded home from the battlefields of Europe; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, BVL's annual tournament was first introduced in | 15 | | the spring of 1946 when U.S. troops were returning home from | 16 | | the battlefields of Europe and Asia, and the country was | 17 | | anxious to turn the corner from war; there were celebrations | 18 | | across the land, but one celebration was truly a celebration of | 19 | | spirit, involving wounded veterans receiving care at the | 20 | | growing network of VA Medical Centers; it was a celebration of | 21 | | triumph over tragedy as they struggled to return to a sport | 22 | | they once enjoyed; the competition, the annual Bowlers to | 23 | | Veterans Link/Department of Veterans Affairs Bowling |
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| 1 | | Tournament, now marks its 73rd year; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, BVL also supported the dependents of those killed | 3 | | during Operation Desert Storm with academic scholarships for | 4 | | college, and BVL has shipped more than 550 portable carpet | 5 | | bowling lane kits to active duty troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, | 6 | | and numerous other locales, including to the USS Enterprise and | 7 | | the USS Ronald Reagan; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, The BVL annual tournament is a great opportunity | 9 | | for VA patients to be involved in a healthy, active leisure | 10 | | interest while addressing their goals and applying or learning | 11 | | needed skills which improve their quality of life; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, BVL grants provide arts and crafts, music and | 13 | | sport activities, reading materials, board games, and much more | 14 | | to help boost the spirits, speed the recuperation, and improve | 15 | | the morale of military personnel and veterans; it also supports | 16 | | veterans recuperating in VA medical centers, VET centers, and | 17 | | state veteran homes; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, BVL responds to veterans in need, recuperating | 19 | | veterans, veterans suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress | 20 | | Disorder), and aging veterans, giving them an outlet for the | 21 | | joy, freedom, and friendship that recreation and sport can | 22 | | bring; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, BVL is a member of the National Veterans Day | 2 | | Organizing Committee and the Department of Veterans Affairs | 3 | | Voluntary Service National Advisory Committee; it is part of | 4 | | the America Supports You network coordinated by the Pentagon; | 5 | | BVL is the winner of the Department of Veterans Affairs Award | 6 | | for Excellence, and BVL representatives have won the | 7 | | Secretary's Award, the highest honor from the VA; BVL is the | 8 | | recipient of the International Bowling Hall of Fame and | 9 | | Museum's 20th Century Award; BVL is touted as a "major industry | 10 | | success" and has won the Bowling Writers of America John O. | 11 | | Martino Award for Outstanding Contributions to Bowling; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Measured against other charities, BVL prides | 13 | | itself on one of the lowest overhead percentages at just 6%, | 14 | | maintaining their commitment to insure that America's veterans | 15 | | are the recipients of the most funds possible; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, BVL is America's only national sports | 17 | | organization specifically devoted to those who have served our | 18 | | country; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, BVL has received the Best in America seal of | 20 | | approval by America's Best Charities; therefore, be it
| 21 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE |
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| 1 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 2 | | we recognize the commitment to our military personnel and | 3 | | veterans made by The Bowlers to Veterans Link, and we wish them | 4 | | many more successful years; and be it further
| 5 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 6 | | presented to BVL as an expression of our esteem and respect.
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