Pokagon Band Of Potwatomi And Its Four Winds Casinos Host A Media Day For The 2022 Four Winds Invitational

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and its Four Winds® Casinos are pleased to announce that they hosted a media day today at South Bend Country Club as part of the build up to the 2022 Four Winds Invitational.  Media attended a press conference where Beacon Children’s Hospital was named as the beneficiary of the tournament and noted proceeds will be used for a Quad Cab NICU Transport, which will allow Beacon Children’s Hospital to safely transport premature infants as well as the entire Specialty Care Team.  The media also were invited to play South Bend Country Club’s highly-ranked golf course. 

“The Pokagon Band and our Four Winds Casinos are very proud of our longtime sponsorship of the Four Winds Invitational, which has generated close to $800,000 in proceeds for Beacon Health System and Beacon Children’s Hospital over the last 10 years,” said Rebecca Richards, Tribal Chairwoman for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi.  “We are looking forward to the 11th edition of the tournament this year and appreciate the continued support from the South Bend community including our sponsors, vendors, volunteers, team members, as well as our partners, the LPGA Epson Tour and South Bend Country Club.”

Frank Freedman, Chief Operating Officer of Four Winds Casinos added, “Including this year’s $200,000 purse, we have offered over $1.3 million in prize money since we began hosting the Four Winds Invitational in 2012.  Having the tournament take place at South Bend Country Club, along with proceeds going to Beacon Children’s Hospital, has made the Four Winds Invitational one of the most popular events on the LPGA Epson Tour.”    

Jen Tonkovich, Director of Women and Children’s Services for Beacon Health System said, “We would like to thank the Pokagon Band, its Four Winds Casinos and all of the sponsors for their continued generous support over the years.  Receiving the proceeds from the Four Winds Invitational has not only helped us better serve children and families in the region, but also help us plan for the future in ways we can continue to improve our quality of care.  This year’s contribution will complete the purchase of the Quad Cab NICU Transport we announced in 2021.”

Greg Helmkamp, Head Golf Professional at South Bend Country Club added, “South Bend Country Club is honored to once again host the Four Winds Invitational.  The caliber of our golf course and facilities coupled with the support of our members and our experience in hosting an annual U.S. Open qualifier, will help make the 11th edition of the Four Winds Invitational its best tournament yet.”

The Four Winds Invitational is part of the Epson Tour, which entered its 42nd year of structured competition in 2022 and is the most established women’s qualifying tour in the world as the one “Road to the LPGA.”  The tournament will take place from Friday, August 12 through Sunday, August 14 at South Bend Country Club.  Volunteers are needed to fill a variety of roles including assisting with scoring duties and serving as building attendants, caddies, cart drivers, driving range attendants, food and beverage servers, marshals and spotters, parking attendants, standard bearers, shuttle drivers, and more.  For more information and to complete the volunteer application, please visit  http://fourwindsinvitational.com/volunteer/.

About the Four Winds Invitational
The Four Winds® Invitational was established in 2012 as part of the Road to the LPGA®, and is sponsored by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and its Four Winds® Casinos.  The tournament features a field of professional women golfers from around the world.  More information is available at:  http://fourwindsinvitational.com/.                                                                                       

About The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians of Michigan and Indiana
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi’s sovereignty was reaffirmed under legislation signed into law by President Clinton in September of 1994.  The Pokagon Band is dedicated to providing community development initiatives such as housing, education, family services, medical care and cultural preservation for its more than 5,900 citizens.  The Pokagon Band’s ten-county service area includes four counties in Southwestern Michigan and six in Northern Indiana.  Its main administrative offices are located in Dowagiac, Mich., with a satellite office in South Bend, Ind.  In 2007, it opened Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich., followed by Four Winds Hartford in 2011, Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013 and Four Winds South Bend in January 2018.  The Pokagon Band operates a variety of businesses via Mno-Bmadsen, its non-gaming investment enterprise.  More information is available at www.pokagonband-nsn.gov, www.fourwindscasino.com and www.mno-bmadsen.com.        

About the Epson Tour
The Epson Tour (formerly the Symetra Tour) is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour and enters its 42nd competitive season in 2022.  With the support of entitlement partner Seiko Epson Corporation, the Tour’s mission is to prepare the world’s best female professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour.  In the last decade, the Epson Tour has grown from 15 tournaments and $1.6 million in prize money to $4.41 million awarded across 20+ events in 2022.  With more than 600 graduates and alumnae moving on to the LPGA Tour, former Epson Tour players have won 459 LPGA titles.

Follow the Epson Tour at www.epsontour.com, as well as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Epson
Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to co-creating sustainability and enriching communities by leveraging its efficient, compact, and precision technologies and digital technologies to connect people, things, and information.  The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle.  Epson’s goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of around JPY 1 trillion.  Epson America, Inc., based in Los Alamitos, Calif., is Epson’s regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America.  To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com.  You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. 

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Media Contact:

David Gutierrez for the Pokagon Band and its Four Winds Casinos, (312) 780-7204, dgutierrez@dresnerco.com.