Love for Lucy spurs improvedy fundraiser

Lucy Pierri

Everybody loves Lucy.

When Lake Park High School's thespians decided to organize a fundraiser for Lucy Pierri, they remembered the popular '50s sitcom.

They remembered how much the country loved the wacky red-head played by actress Lucille Ball on the "I Love Lucy" show.

Pierri, a Bloomingdale resident fighting colon cancer, is not a TV star. But she is known to many as a loving nurse in Bloomingdale Elementary District 13 schools and as the active mother of two Lake Park students.

"She's one of the nicest people," Lake Park High School drama teacher Susan Rothchild said. "She's an inspiration. She really is."

Lake Park's Thespian Troupe 3516 has organized an "Improvedy: I Love Lucy" benefit for Pierri. It will take place at 7 p.m. Friday at Lake Park East Campus in Roselle. The show's theme is modeled on the TV show.

Proceeds will benefit the Love for Lucy Foundation, set up by Pierri's friends to help pay for medical bills.

Two years ago, Pierri was diagnosed with a tumor on her hip and cancer in her liver. Her prognosis is now considered severe.

Her first round of treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston cost roughly $78,000, and it's still unclear how much of it will be covered by insurance.

The Lake Park thespians organize two improvisational shows each year to raise money for a charity, Rothchild said. "We pick it at the beginning of the year."

The show generally raises between $800 and $1,000, she said. It is interactive with the audience and is structured like the TV show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"

It will feature several improvisational games between thespians, thespian apprentices and audience members.

"They apply the techniques that I teach and they are performing a service for the community," Rothchild said. "They are using their gift to give back."

Lake Park's thespians have also raised roughly $267 at a mini film festival last month and plan to donate the money to Love For Lucy.

The following Lake Park students are in the cast: Ian Blinstrup, Bianca Gerardi, Krystal Uhl, Alex Furlan, Jon Winarski, Laura Reece, Andy Greskoviak, Becca Shelton, Laura Diamond, Paul Gray, John Pierri, Ryan Keane, Hannah Jones and Ernie Krause.

If you go

What: Improvedy: I Love Lucy, a benefit for Lucy Pierri

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Lake Park High School East Campus, 600 S. Medinah Road, Roselle

Cost: $4 per person

Call: (630) 295-5401