2022 Lunch Raises Over $185K for Austin's Playrooms!

Over 350 guests joined the Mario Lemieux Foundation at the Fairmont Hotel on Thursday, May 12 for the 23rd annual Austin’s Playrooms Lunch and Fundraiser presented by Highmark. The event, our first in-person lunch since 2019, raised over $185,000 for Austin’s Playrooms!

Austin’s Playrooms, an initiative created by Nathalie Lemieux through her own experiences, creates safe and comfortable spaces in medical facilities for children who are enduring extended stays, whether as a patient or as a sibling of a patient.

Proceeds from this year’s event will be utilized to fund a new Playroom at UPMC Pinnacle, located in Harrisburg, PA. Additionally, funds will support our maintenance program, which allows us to make essential renovations and technology updates in our existing Playrooms.                                                                                                    

Concluding its 23rd year, the annual event has raised the necessary funds to establish 42 Playrooms in hospitals and medical facilities throughout western Pennsylvania and beyond, with one new Military Playroom scheduled to open by the end of the year at the Naval Medical Center San Diego. Your support, and the generosity of our other key sponsors: Highmark, Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, UPMC, The Greenberg Family, and Cafaro-Livingston Charitable Trust, allow us to continue the good work of Austin’s Playrooms. 

More About Austin's Playrooms

Austin’s Playrooms provide a safe, fun, and engaging atmosphere for kids while their families focus on health and healing in the face of difficult medical challenge. To learn more about Austin’s Playrooms, watch the new Playroom video above, or click here.

For a full list of locations, click here.

For more information, contact Karin Girasek, Director, Austin’s Playrooms at kgirasek@mlf66.org or 412-281-3466.