Once again, the bowlers in Minneapolis showed their support of America’s active duty and veteran service men and women by being the number one local association contributor to BVL during the 2010-2011 season.  This marks the third consecutive year that Minneapolis has taken this honor.

Butch Kesller, Chair of the BVL Committee for the association, points out that their bowlers really understand the BVL cause.  “We spend a lot of time talking with our bowlers about BVL,” Butch explains.  “For us, BVL isn’t one week or one month out of the year – it’s a year-long effort, with raffles, dinners and all kinds of events.”

Following closely behind Minneapolis in second place was Citrus Belt, Calif., with $16,456.00.  The Nation’s Capital Area USBC raised $14,274.11.  Another California association came in fourth, the Orange County USBC, contributing $10,000 to the cause.  Rounding out the top five was West Valley, Ore. USBC with $8,503.47.

“We are always so grateful to our league bowlers and our local leadership for all they do for BVL,” notes BVL Board Chair Darlene Baker.  “When we look at our top associations, we recognize the tremendous amount of work that goes into their BVL campaigns.”

Continues Baker, “But this year, we had to pause when we tallied the West Valley USBC contributions… With just one 24 lane center, Walnut Valley Lanes in McMinnville, they raised more than $8,500!  Now, that’s amazing!”

The complete list of the Top 25 local association contributions to BVL for the 2010-2011 season are:

For the complete list of contributors for the 2010-2011 season, see Contributors.

Greater Richmond USBC Hosts “Welcome Home: We Salute You” Bowling Party at Bethesda Naval Medical Center

For many returning service men and women, their first stop on home soil is Bethesda Naval Medical Center. There, they receive the care and treatment necessary to help them overcome their injuries. But days of doctors appointments and therapies can get get pretty boring. Through BVL’s “We Salute You” bowling events, our recoving service men and women can get out of their routines and have some fun bowling.

This was Greater Richmond USBC’s second time to host, and the response from the attendees was just as enthusiastic as the first. More than 20 service men and women arrived at the center ready to try America’s favorite sport. The center was decorated with balloons and signs and the music was on.   After the shoes and balls were selected and the balls started rolling, the lunch menu came out. Participants were treated to a variety of foods and drink.

For many of the attendees it was their first time bowling with prosthetics, so were was an adjustment period, but all had a great time.

The afternoon was a perfect 300 for the bowlers. Some of the responses were:

“I enjoyed today, I had tons of fun… it was a blast!” — Mark (Army) OIF/OEF

It was my first time wheelchair bowling, the ramps were awesome and I had a great time.” –Josh (Marines) Afghanistan

“The whole event was fantastic, thank you!” — KC (Marines) OIF

“Today was fun and encouraging, because I like seeing that I can still do everything I did before.” — Jacob (Marines) Afghanistan

“Bowling was great. I hope you guys do this again.” — Devin (Army) OIF/OEF

And when the bowling was over, all attendees received a special BVL gift package — a backpack filled with treats, BVL playing cards, and a BVL T-Shirt with the phrase “Bowling Supports America’s Troops.” Thanks to the Greater Richmond USBC, we stand by that motto.

If your organization would like to host a party, please contact the BVL offices for more information.