Working in the world of hospitality and always trying to provide the best for every guest, it comes as little surprise that the employees of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians’ Four Winds Casinos have already topped their recently announced donation fund for hurricane relief efforts.
The New Buffalo-based casino group revealed this morning that their employee donation fund for ongoing hurricane relief has topped $10,400. The Four Winds Casino Resort itself also contributed to the employee effort, resulting in a donation of $25,000 to the American Red Cross.
The fundraising drive was set up as a payroll deduction for the 275 employees who took part, and it’s not the first time those generous employees have stepped up to the window. In years past, Four Winds employees have raised money for the American Heart Association, the LOGAN Center for Autism and Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research campaigns, among others.
Frank Freedman, who serves as Chief Operating Officer of Four Winds Casinos, says, “I’m not at all surprised by the amount of money our employees donated to this cause.” He adds, “These devastating hurricanes have impacted family and friends of many of our employees. It’s deeply personal to all of us. We’re proud to join them in giving to those hard-hit by Harvey, Irma and, most recently, Maria.”
Pokagon Band Chairman John P. Warren has stated many Native Americans live in these hurricane regions. He says, “It’s our duty as fellow tribal citizens to support them and others who are facing this crisis, so when these hurricanes hit, our employees were eager to help.”
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians’ 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 approximately 5,000 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, with a satellite office in South Bend. In 2007, they opened Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, followed by Four Winds Hartford in 2011 and Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013. Additionally, Four Winds South Bend, which is currently well underway in the construction process, will open in early 2018.
The Pokagon Band also owns and operates a variety of businesses via Mno-Bmadsen, the tribe’s non-gaming investment enterprise. More information is available at www.pokagonband-nsn.gov, www.fourwindscasino.com and www.mno-bmadsen.com.
Four Winds New Buffalo, located at 11111 Wilson Road…Four Winds Hartford, located at 68600 Red Arrow Highway in Hartford…and Four Winds Dowagiac, located at 58700 M-51 South in Dowagiac, are all owned by the Pokagon Band.
Four Winds New Buffalo offers 130,000 square feet of gaming with more than 3,000 slot machines, 60 table games, five restaurants, entertainment bars, retail venues, a pool, and a 415-room hotel, making it the premier gaming resort in the Midwest. Four Winds Hartford features more than 550 slot machines, nine table games, a 74-seat restaurant, and a 15-seat bar. Four Winds Dowagiac features 400 slot machines, seven table games and one restaurant.
