(COLORADO) — A special buddy program that paired hospitalized children with families for some winter fun saw a large increase in participation this year, according to Children's Hospital Colorado. With fresh snowfall comes plenty of outdoor wintry fun for most, but for kids who are fighting to get better in the hospital, it’s not always a possibility to get outside and romp in the snow. That’s where the “Snow Buddies” program stepped in to bring children some of the smiles they might otherwise not get to experience all cooped up indoors. Families who signed up would receive a drawing from a child of the snowman they would have built if they could, and the families would then make their vision a reality. This year, Children's Hospital said it saw large increases across the board in participation over the previous year: Total volunteer groups: 538 - 74% increase over 2024 Total of snowmen built: 220 - 99% increase over 2024 Total patient submissions: 40 - 186% increase over 2024 Courtesy: Children's Hospital ColoradoCourtesy: Children's Hospital ColoradoCourtesy: Children's Hospital ColoradoCourtesy: Children's Hospital ColoradoCourtesy: Children's Hospital ColoradoCourtesy: Children's Hospital ColoradoCourtesy: Children's Hospital ColoradoCourtesy: Children's Hospital ColoradoCourtesy: Children's Hospital ColoradoCourtesy: Children's Hospital ColoradoCourtesy: Children's Hospital Colorado The 2025 campaign has wrapped up for the year, and Children's Hospital thanked all the generous participants for their time and creativity. ...read more read less