Pokagon Band presents check to Beacon Health System

Proceeds from Four Winds Invitational will fund pediatric eye imaging equipment

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Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and Four Winds Casinos

Aug 20, 2019, 17:00 ET

SOUTH BEND, Ind., Aug. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and Four Winds® Casinos are pleased to announce a $127,500 gift was presented to Beacon Health System today at a special ceremony in downtown South Bend. The ceremony took place in the Atrium of the Children's Hospital.

Matt Wesaw, Chairman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, speaks to the media before presenting a check for $127,500 to Beacon Children's Hospital in South Bend, Indiana. For 8 years, the Four Winds Invitational golf tournament has raised funds for Beacon Health System, totaling $672,500.
Matt Wesaw, Chairman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, speaks to the media before presenting a check for $127,500 to Beacon Children's Hospital in South Bend, Indiana. For 8 years, the Four Winds Invitational golf tournament has raised funds for Beacon Health System, totaling $672,500.

The donation represents proceeds from the 2019 Four Winds Invitational which took place June 7 – 9 at Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend. This year's proceeds will underwrite the purchase of pediatric eye imaging equipment for Beacon Children's Hospital. The RetCam3® Pediatric Eye Imaging technology allows physicians to examine and evaluate the eyes of premature and full-term newborns for ocular diseases. Such images allow physicians to establish a baseline for future eye health. It also provides clear information that can be shared between physicians, ocular specialists and parents to make more informed decisions regarding the health of the child.

This is the eighth year of the partnership between The Pokagon Band, Four Winds Casinos and Blackthorn, with proceeds totaling $672,500 for Beacon Health System.

In years past, the Invitational has helped construct a multi-story building above the Memorial Leighton Trauma Center for the General Pediatrics Unit, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Newborn Intensive Care unit, and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic. The building, part of the hospital's SHINE Campaign, features extended family rooms, single family rooms, playrooms and teen hideout spaces for patients, Family Enrichment Centers, a rooftop garden, a butterfly room for families grieving the loss of a child, patient power-load systems and portable radios. Funds have also allowed Beacon Children's Hospital to purchase a pediatric ambulance, MedFlight incubator and ultrasound, giraffe warmers for the NICU, patient simulators to assist with educating and training area pediatric healthcare professionals, and power lifts for the pediatric ambulances.

About the Four Winds Invitational
The Four Winds® Invitational was established in 2012 as part of the Symetra® Tour - Road to the LPGA®, and is sponsored by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and Four Winds® Casinos. It is held at Blackthorn Golf Club, located at 6100 Nimtz Parkway, South Bend, Ind. The tournament features a field of professional women golfers from around the world. More information is available at fourwindsinvitational.com, or by calling Melinda Pierce at (574) 257-4332, or email [email protected].

SOURCE Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and Four Winds Casinos