13th annual Four Winds Invitational to benefit Beacon's NICU

SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- One South Bend Summer Tradition will return for the 13th time this Labor Day Weekend, and for a great cause.

The Pokagan Band of Potowatomi Indians and their Four Winds Casinos are already teeing up for this year's Four Winds Invitational at the South Bend Country Club.

Proceeds from the past 13 years have come right back to the community, helping families at Beacon Children's Hospital.

In just about 2 months- this course will be filled with female golfers from all over the world competing for a 262,000 dollar purse on the ESPON tour- the qualifying tour for the LPGA.

"No summer is complete without the four winds invitational," said Mary Smith the Chief Operating Officer for Four Winds Casinos.

In a press conference Thursday morning, they announced that this year the funds raised will go towards purchasing 20 syringe feeding pumps, for babies in the NICU that are unable to receive the nutrients they need, otherwise.

"We donated close to $1 million so after this year's event and everything's totaled, we will break the threshold of $1 million to begin health systems and Beacon Children's Hospital so we're excited for that," said Rebecca Richards the Tribal Chairwoman for the Pokagon Band of Potowatomi.
The President of the Beacon Health Foundation expressed the gratitude and need for these kinds of partnerships in the community.

"A lot of the services that we provide we don't get reimbursed for the cost that we need and so the partnerships in the community, particularly the partnership that we have with the Pokagon Band and the Four Winds Invitational allows us to bring critical resources and allows us to purchase equipment and provide support services to our families and kids in order to keep them close to home," said King.

After the announcement, Partners were able to hit the links including ABC57 Anchor, Brian Conybeare, who tested out the greens ahead of the invitational.

They are still in need of volunteers that are essential to the event, for more information and to sign up, click here.