Memorial Children's Hospital Selected as Beneficiary of Third Annual Four Winds Invitational

SOUTH BEND, IN--(Marketwired - Feb 20, 2014) - The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and its Four Winds Casinos®, are pleased to announce that proceeds from the third annual Four Winds Invitational will once again be donated to Memorial Children's Hospital™. Funds raised this year will be used to purchase Giraffe Warmers for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Giraffe Warmers are used to support the development of newborns by providing a temperature-controlled and protective environment. More than $109,500 has been donated to Memorial Children's Hospital over the past two years. The 2014 Four Winds Invitational will be held from Friday, June 20 through Sunday, June 22, at Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend, Ind. 

"The Four Winds Invitational is one of several initiatives in which the Pokagon Band gives back to the community, and we are pleased to once again select Memorial Children's Hospital as the beneficiary of the tournament," said John Warren, Chairman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. "The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Memorial Children's Hospital provides needed care at a critical time in a child's life and the purchase of the Giraffe Warmers will further enhance the hospital's ability to provide life-saving care."

"We are very grateful for the friendship and support of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and the Four Winds Invitational," said Phil Newbold, CEO of Beacon Health System, which is the parent organization of Memorial Children's Hospital. "With their continued help, we are able to give our smallest patients the best possible start, and their families the hope and strength they need."

"Memorial Children's Hospital serves 22 referring hospitals across Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan, averaging 3,000 births a year, with more than 400 being admitted into our Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. It is our responsibility to provide the highest quality of care to our smallest and most fragile patients," said Diane Freel, Director of Memorial's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. "These new Giraffe Warmers will allow staff to stabilize the infant while keeping them warm and comfortable in a developmentally supportive environment."

The 2013 Four Winds Invitational was held from Friday, June 21 through Sunday, June 23, 2013 at the Blackthorn Golf Club, located at 6100 Nimtz Parkway, South Bend, Ind. The tournament featured a field of professional women golfers from around the world competing for the largest purse on the Symetra Tour - Road to the LPGA. Cydney Clanton, of Concord, N.C., won the tournament on the seventh playoff hole.

Memorial Children's Hospital is the region's only designated children's hospital and welcomes and treats children with a wide variety of medical and surgical diagnoses from more than 20 referral hospitals throughout Southwestern Michigan and Northern Indiana. The world-class team includes pediatric hospitalists and intensivists, registered nurses, child life specialists, pediatric diabetic educators, pediatric dietitians, social workers, neonatologists, pediatric oncologists, respiratory therapists, clinical nurse specialists, pastoral care, and pediatric specialists in physical therapy, pulmonary medicine and infectious disease. More information is available at: www.qualityoflife.org/childrenshospital.

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 its 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: www.fourwindsinvitational.com.