Brightening Veteran’s Lives

(formerly known as)

Bowlers to Veterans Link (BVL) Fact Sheet

• The Bowlers to Veterans Link is a national nonprofit charity (501(c)3) which supports America’s veteran and active duty service men and women
• Founded in 1942, BVL is the sport of bowling’s oldest charity
• BVL is the sport’s most successful charity — raising over $50 million dollars for America’s active duty service members and veterans
• BVL is America’s only national sports organization specifically devoted to those who have served our country
• The BVL Board of Directors is comprised of representatives from the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) and the Bowling Proprietor’s Association of America (BPAA)

Programs:

• BVL grants provide arts and crafts programs, music and sports activities, reading materials, board games and much more to help boost spirits, speed recuperation, and improve morale
• BVL supports veterans recuperating in VA Medical Centers, Vet Centers and State Veterans Homes
• Along with the VA, BVL operates one of the longest running mail-in bowling tournaments forveterans – now in its 71st year
• The BVL helps sponsor six national veterans’ recreational events – the Winter Sports Clinic, the Golden Age Games, the Wheelchair Games, The Summer Sports Clinic, the Training/Exposure/Experience Tournament and the Creative Arts Festival
• BVL sponsors the tours of the entertainment troupe “Re-Creation” which performs at VA Hospitals and State Veterans Homes around the country
• BVL supports an on-line tribute campaign to those who have served our country through “Operation: Honor Force”
• 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

History

• The BVL was founded in 1942 by a group of caring and concerned bowlers who promised, “We will not forget about the sacrifices made by America’s service men and women.”

 

• BVL’s first campaign during WWII raised money to purchase medical evacuation planes to ferry the wounded home from the battlefields of Europe.
• BVL supported the dependents of those killed during Operation Desert Storm with academic scholarships for college
• BVL has shipped more than 550 portable carpet bowling lane kits to active duty troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and a host of other locales including to the USS Enterprise and USS Ronald Reagan

Network

• About $1 million is raised through the sport of bowling annually
• There are local BVL programs in more than 1,200 communities throughout the U.S.
• BVL supporters not only raise money for America’s veterans but also volunteer their time a veterans’ facilities – organizing games and events, reading, coordinating bowling programs and much more

Membership and Awards

• BVL is a member of the National Veterans Day Organizing Committee and the Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service National Advisory Committee and part of the “America Supports You” network coordinated by the Pentagon.
• BVL is the winner of the Department of Veterans Affairs “Award for Excellence”.
• 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,” touted as a ‘major industry success.’
• BVL won the Bowling Writers of America ‘John O. Martino Award’ for ‘Outstanding Contributions to Bowling’
• Measured against other charities, the BVL prides itself on one of the lowest overhead percentages at just 6% – maintaining our commitment to insure that America’s veterans are the recipients of the most funds possible.
• BVL is recognized as one of “America’s Best Charities” for outstanding programs services combined with low overhead.