PENGUINS CO-OWNERS DONATE $200,000 TO HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS

Highmark Health and UPMC will receive donations from Penguins co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle to help them deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Lemieux and Burkle are each donating $100,000, and the donations will be split evenly between the two healthcare organizations.

The Highmark Health donation will be used for a new Mobile COVID-19 Testing Unit, and medical professionals plan to utilize the unit in under-served populations and communities such as Hazelwood, Duquesne, Clairton and the Hill District.

The UPMC donation will benefit the UPMC Children’s Hospital Helpers Fund, providing fast and flexible support to families and caregivers who are impacted by COVID-19. The support includes such things as food, formula, toiletries and household items for patients and their families.

“We are so proud of how the Penguins players, coaches, staff and management have stepped forward to assist our community,” Lemieux and Burkle said in a joint statement released on the team’s Web site. “We hope that these donations can help Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities deal with this unprecedented crisis.”