Nathalie Lemieux, wife of NHL Hall of Famer and Pittsburgh Penguin owner, Mario Lemieux, will host the annual Playroom Project Luncheon and Fundraiser. The luncheon raises funds to support the Playroom Project, an initiative of the Mario Lemieux Foundation. The 2009 Austin’s Playroom recipients are UPMC Passavant - North Hills and UPMC Passavant- Cranberry, and there are currently 13 Playrooms operating and an additional five pending.

Chef Duff Goldman from the Food Network’s the Ace of Cakes will be on hand to present a cake he designed himself to Nathalie Lemieux, as a SURPRISE to celebrate 10 years of the Playroom Project.

The Playroom Project was established following Nathalie and Mario Lemieux's personal experience while caring for their profoundly premature infant son at Magee-Womens Hospital. As they were tending to young Austin, there was no place, or no one, to engage the lively minds and provide a comfortable calming environment for his sisters. It was then that Nathalie devised this idea to someday raise funds for playrooms at area hospitals in western Pennsylvania.

The Playroom Project seeks to benefit families and improve the quality of a child's hospital experience whether as a visitor or patient. Nathalie Lemieux serves as Chair of The Playroom Project, and each room is called Austin's Playroom.