Nancy Davis and Amy Green Join Forces for Intimate Holiday Cocktail Event in Aspen, Portion of Sales Will Benefit Race to Erase Ms and Cure Addiction Now
Later this winter in Aspen, Nancy Davis will return to the place where her life’s work first took shape. Long before Race to Erase MS became a celebrity-filled Los Angeles gala, it began as a modest ski weekend in Colorado, an idea born out of urgency, fear, and resolve. More than three decades later, Davis, joined by co-host Amy Green, is bringing that mission back to its roots with an intimate holiday cocktail event at Piranesi, where a portion of evening sales will benefit Race to Erase MS, with additional support directed to Cure Addiction Now.
Race to Erase MS remains the cornerstone of Davis’s philanthropic life. She founded the organization in 1993, just two years after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 33. At the time, MS research offered little reassurance. There were no FDA-approved drugs, no clear understanding of the disease, and few reasons for optimism.
“I was told I’d be lucky to operate the remote control on my television,” Davis recalled. “I had three young children and was basically told to go home and go to bed.”
Instead, Davis sought second opinions, and then a different solution altogether. She recognized that many of the world’s most brilliant scientists were working in isolation, often duplicating each other’s efforts without realizing it. Race to Erase MS was built to change that model.
Through its Center Without Walls, the foundation requires leading MS researchers to collaborate, share data, and communicate openly about both successes and failures. That structure, Davis believes, accelerated progress that otherwise might have taken decades longer.
When Race to Erase MS launched, there were no MS drugs on the market. Today, there are 25 FDA-approved treatments, with another expected to be announced on January 26th. The foundation has played a role in funding research that led to Ocrevus, one of the most significant disease-modifying therapies approved to date.
“For someone being diagnosed today, especially young women in their twenties and thirties, there is so much more hope,” Davis said. “That didn’t exist when I was diagnosed.”
Amy Green, whose philanthropic identity is deeply personal and unwavering, joins Davis as co-host for the Aspen evening. Her organization, Green Vision, brings together leading environmental, conservation, and humanitarian forces to address the world’s most urgent planetary challenges. At the heart of this mission is the Footprints of Life gala, which Green is now bringing to Aspen.
“When you bring everybody together, we can really solve problems in the world and then we can use our resources to help other people,” says Green. “That’s always been my mission.”
Each gala focuses on four global causes Green selects after months of research and dialogue with scientists, conservationists, and indigenous leaders. “I really look where we’re having the most issues,” she explains. “I want to know their intentions, and I want to know where the money’s going.” Her priorities shift each year, though ocean restoration, climate change, endangered species, and indigenous communities remain central themes.
While their philanthropic and environmental initiatives shape policy, culture, and community, Green’s creativity has found another outlet—one that merges her devotion to her daughters with her commitment to a kinder planet. Her luxury fashion line, GIADA, named after her daughter, is built on the philosophy of luxury without harm.
“I’m the designer. I’m the creator,” she says. “What I want is for people who love beautiful things to feel good about what they’re wearing, inside and out.”
The December gathering on December 29th, scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m., will take place inside Piranesi’s Aspen boutique, transformed for the evening into a warm, candlelit setting designed for discovery and conversation. Guests will enjoy cocktails and light bites while browsing fine jewelry defined by meticulous handcraftsmanship and timeless design.
Founded in Italy in 1850, Piranesi is known for its commitment to traditional techniques, rare stones, and artisanal methods rooted in Valenza, where time is treated not as a commodity but as a collaborator. Each piece is crafted by master artisans using time-tested methods that prioritize precision, patience, and enduring beauty.
“We live in a world where everything is fast,” said Michel Piranesi. “But extraordinary beauty doesn’t come from speed. It comes from time, from skilled hands, and from using the very best materials. That effort is always worth it.”
Rather than a formal program, the evening is intentionally relaxed. There will be no speeches or stage moments, just conversation, shared purpose, and the understanding that a portion of every purchase made throughout the night will directly support both Race to Erase MS and Cure Addiction Now.
“It’s a beautiful store, the jewelry is gorgeous, and the energy feels right,” Davis said. “You’re enjoying yourself, you’re supporting craftsmanship, and you know that part of whatever the sales are is going to both of my charities. That’s the kind of giving that feels natural.”
“It’s a beautiful store, the jewelry is gorgeous, and the energy feels right,” Davis said. “You’re enjoying yourself, you’re supporting craftsmanship, and you know that part of whatever the sales are is going to both of my charities. That’s the kind of giving that feels natural.”
Jason Davis died in 2020, but his influence remains central to the organization’s mission. Cure Addiction Now focuses on funding basic science research into substance use disorder, an area Davis says has been overlooked despite the scale of the crisis.
“People assume addiction treatment is solved because we’ve had the same system for 80 years,” Davis said. “But the reality is that it only works for a very small percentage of people.”
Cure Addiction Now supports research into medications and therapies that address addiction as a biological and mental health condition—not a moral failing. Among the most promising areas of study is an opioid vaccine designed to block cravings and prevent relapse, as well as non-narcotic medications already on the market that help newly sober individuals sleep and reduce cravings.
Still, Davis says the science cannot move forward without addressing stigma, something she plans to discuss quietly but candidly during the Aspen gathering.
“Addiction doesn’t just shame the person suffering,” she said. “It shames their families, and even the doctors who work on it.”
That belief is embedded in Davis’s jewelry designs as well. Her Peace & Love Jewelry line was born during an early Race to Erase MS gala, inspired by a desire to communicate hope during uncertain times. One recurring symbol, the teddy bear, become closely associated with Cure Addiction Now and Jason’s legacy.
“The message is simple,” Davis said. “Instead of pushing people away, we embrace them.”
The upcoming Piranesi evening will mirror that philosophy. Guests will browse, sip, shop, and connect, not about charity as obligation, but as shared responsibility.
For Davis, bringing Race to Erase MS back to Aspen is both symbolic and practical.
“If we can keep people talking, collaborating, and caring,” she said, “we get closer. That’s how this started. And that’s how we’ll finish it.”
To learn more, visit: