Playroom Project Luncheon and Fundraiser - 5/21/09

This year, approximately $100,000 was raised by the Mario Lemieux Foundation Playroom Project to build playrooms in the hospitals of UPMC Passavant North Hills and UPMC Passavant Cranberry at the Playroom Project Lunch and Fundraiser. After an auction at LeMont Restaurant, 300 guests enjoyed lunch and a specialty cake, created and delivered by celebrity Chef Duff Goldman, baker and owner of Charm City Cakes and star of the Food Network television show Ace of Cakes. The cake and a special appearance by Mario Lemieux were both a surprise to Nathalie Lemieux. “She couldn't believe it. She was very surprised,” says Nancy Angus, executive director of the Mario Lemieux Foundation. “Mario usually doesn’t attend these events because they are for the ladies. Nathalie nearly fell off her chair when she saw him.” Photography by Megan Wylie