By Julia Szabo
In the U.S. alone, nearly 9,700 children are diagnosed with cancer every year, almost 27 every day. Cancer kills roughly three children every single day, leukemias and malignant brain tumors among the most common cancers. Childhood cancer survivors often experience long-lasting side effects from oncology treatments, including developmental delays, sensory loss and secondary cancers.
Until these devastating statistics are reduced, many nonprofits have committed to helping families stay strong as they battle cancer alongside their children. A dynamic leader in the fight against childhood cancer, the Children’s Oncology Support Fund Foundation has harnessed impressive star power in support of its annual black-tie gala, the Aspen Snow Ball Gala, held every winter.
The star-studded evening—featuring talent on the order of Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Édgar Ramirez, Chelsea Handler and Rumer Willis—has proved so successful that it’s morphed into Aspen Snow Ball Week, a highly anticipated happening across four action-packed days, designed to raise awareness through an invaluable, intangible asset, the very thing cancer tries to steal: joy.
COSF, says its founder Thomas Pierce, has a bold, ambitious mission: “To eradicate pediatric cancer.” Cancer is a relentless opponent, so COSF fights back, Aspen-style. Sweeping blizzards of positive energy fuel year-round, nonstop efforts to raise funds to battle the deadly disease. The Snow Ball doesn’t vanish when temperatures rise and the winter season ends—the impact of COSF is felt all year. Since its inception in 2023, COSF has raised more than $10 million in charitable donations, helping to fund important pediatric cancer research and wellness initiatives.
The foundation made possible the COSF Activity Room at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital—“the Zone”—a medical-free space dedicated solely to kid-friendly programs, which opened in late 2024. It continues to create space for children and their families to spend precious time together during treatment with music therapy, and an artist-in-residence, a place where a kid can simply be a kid.
Meanwhile, back in Aspen, COSF partnered with the Aspen Art Museum to help raise funds for the COSF Fund for Advancement in Wellness, “shedding light on education, holistic modalities and the importance of art therapy as part of the healing journey,” Pierce adds. In his travels, Pierce never sleeps on a chance to recreate the magical community spirit of Colorado’s chic snow village—like the Aspen-themed holiday fundraising dinner he hosted in New York City, featuring Broadway musical artists and drawing many new supporters to the COSF cause.
It’s all in a life’s work for Pierce, whose distinguished movie-producing credits include The Brutalist, portraying the fictional story of Hungarian architect László Tóth. Like that Oscar-winning film, the philanthropic projects Pierce spearheads deftly combine drama with true stories of courage—a cross between a compelling documentary, and a narrative feature film. “With Snow Ball, we’re telling an important story that resonates across time: Children need access to childhood, and some sense of normalcy.”
He’s an inspiring example of how one person’s philanthropic vision can galvanize a community to effect positive change. But Pierce always shines the spotlight back on the real heroes: the children battling cancer. “At this year’s Snow Ball, our youth ambassador, Ethan Curtis, stood up and shared his story for the very first time. Ethan was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Burkitt lymphoma at 15. After treatment at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, he’s now in full remission, and a student at the University of Utah—an incredible speaker with an incredible story.” aspensnowball.com; cosffoundation.org