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

SOUTH BEND, IN--(Marketwired - Mar 29, 2016) - The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and its Four Winds® Casinos are pleased to announce that proceeds from the fifth annual Four Winds Invitational will once again be donated to Memorial Children's Hospital™. Money raised this year will help fund the purchase of a portable ultrasound for the hospital's MedFlight Helicopter Program and goggles allowing children to watch a movie or TV show during an MRI. More than $267,000 has been donated to Memorial Children's Hospital over the past four years. The 2016 Four Winds Invitational, as part of the Symetra® Tour -- Road to the LPGA®, will be held from Friday, June 17 through Sunday, June 19 at Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend. 

"We are honored to continue our relationship with the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and the Four Winds Invitational," says Phil Newbold, CEO, Beacon Health System, the parent organization of Memorial Children's Hospital. "With their continued support, this year we will be able to provide a more comfortable MRI experience for children and much needed ultrasound capabilities for our MedFlight team, who care for the most critically ill and injured children in our region. The Pokagon Band are truly giving children the chance to live healthier lives."

The portable ultrasound for Memorial Children's Hospital's MedFlight Helicopter Program can be used during flight and transport. It provides critical diagnostic information and identifies traumatic injuries, which leads to quicker treatment and reduces the time needed to get a child to the operating room. With the MRI goggles, children are able to forget about their surroundings as they become completely absorbed in watching a movie, a TV show, or listening to music while undergoing an MRI. The MRI goggles reduce the need for sedation in children, virtually eliminates claustrophobia fears, and is compatible with all MRI systems. 

"Memorial Children's Hospital sees patients from 28 referral hospitals in Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana, which means that the hospital has an enormous impact on the community and positively affects thousands of lives each year," said John P. Warren, Chairman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. "Funds from the previous four years have gone to innovative programs within Memorial Children's Hospital that have helped thousands of kids. We are proud to see that tradition continue with the portable ultrasound for the hospital's MedFlight Helicopter Program and the MRI goggles."

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.