The Children’s Oncology Support Fund (COSF) hosted its 3rd Annual Aspen Snow Ball Gala at the St. Regis Aspen. Jay Leno emceed the “Black Tie Fantasy” event, themed Oh, The Places You’ll Go. Consequently, the gala raised $3.5 million for pediatric cancer research.

Christie Brinkley earned the Philanthropic Impact Achievement Award. Similarly, Rollie Jordan received the posthumous Community Leadership Award. Notable attendees included Monica Elias, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Serinda Swan, Hunter Doohan, Julieth Restrepo, Jackie Cruz, Nolan Funk, James Packer, and Princess Natalya Elisabeth Davidovna Obolensky. Obolensky notably bid $160,000 for an Anthony James sculpture.

Co-presenting sponsors ClinConnect and Velocity Black supported the event. ClinConnect links cancer patients to clinical trials nationwide. Meanwhile, Velocity Black provides premium concierge services. During the gala, Zara Larsson performed, and Parson James delivered a surprise performance. Additionally, Darren Drew of In the Grove Music turned heads in a Balmain outfit.

Aspen Snow Ball Week Events

The gala capped a vibrant five-day Aspen Snow Ball Week. First, a Benefit Concert, hosted by Brooke Burke, featured Robin Thicke, Luke K., Chloe Jane, and Alexis Silva at the Aspen Art Museum. Next, a high-energy “pre-game” event took over Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro. Then, an educational panel was held at the Wheeler Opera House.

Thomas Pierce hosted the Benefactor Dinner with DJ Julia Sandstrom at Snow Lodge. Furthermore, the After Party and Super Bowl Party occurred at ZigZag Restaurant, owned by COSF board members Carly and Scott Weber.

Impact on Pediatric Cancer Support

The gala’s funds supported Children’s Hospital Colorado. Specifically, COSF’s contributions enhanced the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders Family Wellness Program. As a result, more licensed social workers, art therapists, and music therapists now provide psychosocial support. Dr. Bob Casey, Wellness Program Director, stated, “COSF has been like winning the lottery for us.”

Gala Chairs included Thomas Pierce, Scott and Carly Weber, Carla Maresca Eichler, Julianne Keil, Michael Orcutt, and Ashley Wyndham. Honorary Chairs were Christie Brinkley, Brooke Burke, and Rachel Zoe. Committee members, such as Peter Brant Jr., Gavin Brodin, and Keni Silva, attended. Additionally, Maison Spoiled donated a “Celestial Graduating Charm Bracelet” for the auction. Other auction items came from David Yarrow, Mr. Brainwash, Versace, and Alice + Olivia.

About COSF

The Children’s Oncology Support Fund raises funds for pediatric cancer programs, research, and less toxic therapies. COSF provides grants to patient programs nationwide. By partnering with hospitals and nonprofits, COSF upholds transparency, community, and relevance. Visit cosffoundation.org for more information.

Check out more latest events, parties, and Hollywood gossip at Couri’s Columns.

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Aspen Snow Ball

The Aspen Snow Ball gala on February 8th is the centerpiece of four days of festivities at the famed ski resort in support of the Children’s Oncology Support Fund (COSF). Jay Leno will host the evening and Christie Brinkley will be honored with the Philanthropic Achievement Award. Chairs, board members, and hosts include Rachel Zoe, who was last year’s honoree, Christina and Ivy Getty, Monica Elias, Keni Silva, Bill and Giuliana Rancic, Brooke Burke, and Kyra Kennedy. Robin Thicke and Swedish songbird Zara Larsson will perform at separate events for guests including actor William Abadie, better known as Antoine, the fragrance house mogul in Emily in Paris, and Real Housewives’ Kyle Richards and Erin Lichy.

Children’s Hospital Colorado

Held at the St. Regis Aspen, proceeds from this year’s Snow Ball will go to Children’s Hospital Colorado where COSF has established an endowment to fund wellness programs for kids affected by cancer and the hiring of art and music therapists and child life service therapists. “It’s an endowment that will provide stability to ensure that children in treatment at the Center for Blood and Cancer Disorders and their siblings have access to these programs in perpetuity,” said COSF founder Thomas Pierce.

Also part of the exclusive weekend is a Kickoff Benefit Concert on Thursday at the Aspen Art Museum, with which COSF has partnered on a campaign about art therapy and the importance of access to art for children. Friday’s “Saddle Up and Shop” event has ten brands donating 25% of proceeds to COSF, and that evening is a VIP Benefactor Dinner for top supporters. On Sunday, board members Carly and Scott Weber will host a Super Bowl party at ZIGZAG, their new Aspen restaurant.

“Aspen is so enchanting and I wanted to share it with our donors,” Pierce said. “We wanted to create a destination event so we can really get full focus from our donors and build community. And it really is pretty magical when you’re dressed up in black tie in a small ski town.”

GIVING Tuesday

New Yorkers didn’t have to head to the ski slopes to support COSF, whose mission is to fund the development of less toxic therapies for pediatric cancer patients across the U.S. New Yorkers attended a holiday dinner on Giving Tuesday at private club Coco’s at Collette that featured a performance by Broadway star Michael James Scott. Top New York donors include members of the Rockefeller and Hilton families, along with actors like Thomas Doherty of the Gossip Girl reboot and Karla Sofia Gascon, who is getting Oscar buzz for her performance as a drug lord in the Netflix musical film Emilia Perez. “We’ll bring a touch of Aspen, and it’s our official kickoff event to the Aspen Snow Ball,” Pierce said. Partygoers included jeweler Kayla Rockefeller and her parents Kimberly and photographer Steven Rockefeller, model and oil heiress Ivy Getty, Candace Bushnell, Author of Sex in the City, Peter Thomas Roth, Adrien Lesser, Isabelle Bscher, Janna Bullock, Ashley Wyndham, heir to Whydamn Hotels, orange house wife Keni Silva, Nikki Haskell, and 20 others of that ilk and stripe.

COSF Founded in 2022

With such glamorous events bringing together important donors from across the globe you might be surprised to learn that COSF was founded in 2022. Snow Ball 2025 will be the third iteration of the stellar event.

In January 2022 Pierce hosted a cocktail party at a friend’s home with a small silent auction table of 20 items. “I really wanted to host a gala that year but with the conditions of COVID and the restrictions, we decided to host just a little cocktail of 40 people,” he said. He was able to meet community leaders and share his idea of starting the foundation. That one cocktail event raised $200,000, which funded Snow Ball.

“That covered our deposit for the hotel along with other production costs to get things in motion.” Chopard got involved as the presenting sponsor, and Farfetch as co-presenting sponsor. Diana Ross was confirmed as headline performer the first year, and Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden hosted. “Marcia and I go way back,” Pierce said. “It was a really special time. But it was all bootstrapped with the vision to bring a glamorous event to raise money for these children.”

Spurred to Action by Personal Tragedy

The impetus to found COSF arose from the death of Pierce’s friend, Pamela Johnson, from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, in her mid-20s. Pierce got involved with Denise Rich’s Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research, started its Next Generation Circle of Philanthropists, and there learned how to mobilize and lead. He was also on the Next Generation board at UNICEF.

“I had a passion for children being our future and a passion for helping in the cancer space, and I merged the two after realizing what the data looked like with pediatric cancer and the need for programs to ensure kids have access to childhood activities while in treatment.”

Once COVID hit, he realized that a lot of fundraising programs dependent on live events were at risk. “I thought what better time to start a foundation and help the problem.”

Filmmaker & Philanthropist

Pierce, a filmmaker and philanthropist, is executive producer of The Brutalist, in theaters December 20, starring Adrien Brody as a famous Jewish architect from Budapest who escaped the holocaust and came to New York. The film is already getting Oscar buzz and just won Best Film at the New York Critics Circle Awards. As a producer, Pierce is drawn to projects that have a social impact. “We look for projects that could drive a media conversation and shift the minds of its audiences. And you could do that through entertaining content.”

His next film, The Wizard of the Kremlin with Jude Law playing Vladimir Putin alongside Alicia Vikander, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, and Tom Sturridge, begins shooting in January.

COSF foundation, cosffoundation.org

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