SOUTH BEND — The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and Four Winds Casinos presented an $85,000 check to Beacon Children’s Hospital Wednesday at a special ceremony in downtown South Bend.

The ceremony took place in the atrium of the new children’s hospital, which began seeing patients in April.

The donation represents proceeds from the 2017 Four Winds Invitational, which took place June 9 through 11 at Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend. The funds will underwrite three Laerdal Patient Simulators at Beacon Children’s Hospital that will assist in educating and training area pediatric healthcare professionals.

“We are incredibly grateful for the long-standing friendship of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians,” said Kreg Gruber, COO of Beacon Health System. “Their generosity and the generosity of all of the sponsors of the Four Winds Invitational has helped dramatically improve the lives of children throughout our region for many years, and allowed us to celebrate the opening of a new home for Beacon Children’s Hospital earlier this year.”

“Four Winds Casinos is proud to sponsor the Four Winds Invitational and support a great organization like Beacon Children’s Hospital,” said Frank Freedman, COO of Four Winds Casino. “Being a part of a community is about making the community better. We do this by supporting initiatives and organizations who do the same, like Beacon.”

“Children are an important part of the Potawatomi culture and nation,” said John P. Warren, chairman of the Pokagon Band. “They’re to be protected and cherished. We can think of no better recognition of this than to support Beacon Children’s Hospital who help so many children and families in our region.”

This is the sixth year of the partnership between The Pokagon Band and Beacon, with donations totaling more than $430,000. 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, and a butterfly room for families grieving the loss of a child. Funds have also allowed Beacon Children’s Hospital to purchase a pediatric ambulance, MedFlight incubator and ultrasound, giraffe warmers for the NICU and virtual reality goggles for pediatric patients.