“Art therapy is no different from working out at the gym. It is an awesome outlet to resolve your issues,” according to U.S. Army Airborne Infantry Veteran Anthony Jones. “In 2015 I decided I needed to change, I dedicated myself to the health care and programs offered at the VA.” Jones said. BVL is proud…

Brazos Area (TX) USBC BVL supporters teamed up with the local Disabled American Veterans Chapter and other community members to ensure veterans have access to their healthcare needs at the Temple VA Medical Center.  Together, the group raised enough money to purchase a full sized 10 person van to vets to their appointments. Bravo to…

It often starts out differently; sometimes it begins with the tapping of the foot, swaying back and forth, or a twinkle in the eye…  But we always know how it ends… clapping, standing, if possible, and full throated song. And it happens at more than 100 VA Medical Centers and Veterans Homes throughout the country…

Plano, Texas native and Vietnam Veteran Mike Smith’s world got much bigger and brighter this week thanks to BVL and the efforts led by area bowling center proprietor Jamie Brooks. Mike has been confined to a wheelchair after having been diagnosed with several of the signs of Agent Orange including diabetes and congestive heart failure,…

Retired Marine Corps Sergeant Major Doris Denton (1961-1981 including a tour in Vietnam) will be one of nearly 800 Veterans participating in the National Veterans Golden Age Games, May 7 – 11 in Biloxi, Miss.  BVL is one of the sponsors of the event. When Denton first heard about the National Veterans Golden Age Games…

A newcomer to the recent Winter Sports Clinic, sponsored in part by BVL, Army veteran William Márquez, credits “a cast of thousands” that got him there. You see, Márquez did not use the VA when he left the Army. In fact, after his discharge he did not even identify as a Veteran. He did not…

As he slips into the seat of his new custom-made cycle near the starting line, without pedaling one foot of the El Tour de Tucson bike race,  Miguel has already gone a long way.   In fact, riding with a bunch of his buddies from the El Paso VA, Miguel, and their recreation therapist, Corinne, have…

With more than two decades of boots-on-the-ground operational experience as a naval medical officer Navy Capt. Robert Koffman, M.D. says there’s no secret to the key to reduced stress and anxiety, increased brain health, and improved sleep patterns: EXERCISE. Whether that physical activity takes place as part of a team, as an individual in a…

Break out the salsa bowls! This spring and beyond, residents at the Fresno Veterans Home will be taking full advantage of the California sunshine thanks to a variety of new outdoors-based programs funded by BVL… Two potting benches will provide the base for a gardening effort where veterans will be planting tomatoes and peppers in…

Thanks to a grant from the Monmouth County USBC, veterans at the New Jersey State Veterans Home in Menlo Park are experiencing reduced levels of stress and anxiety as they enjoy the palliative effects of watching the fish in their two new giant aquariums purchased thanks to the $9,000 raised by the MCUSBC for BVL.…