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The inspiration to create TSP was born out of an experience in the summer of 1992. Barry was working as a camp counselor at Dream Street, an L.A. based camp for terminally ill children. Barry worked with two little boys, both diagnosed with having AIDS. Halfway through the week he had the first of several epiphany moments that would change the course of his life forever. One day, while the two boys and Barry sat reading books, Barry offhandedly exclaimed that his knee was hurting. At the mention of the pain in his knee, the two boys swiftly marched into the bathroom and began praying out loud, "please God, help our friend Barry feel better. We love him, and he hurts." They came out of the bathroom, ran up to him, and asked, "How's your knee?" Barry replied, "Gosh, it's feeling much better." The two boys squealed with joy and began dancing around the room, thrilled and convinced that their prayers were most certainly heard. Later that evening as they prepared to head to med-call, and then on to dinner, the boys stopped Barry at the door, looked up at him and asked, "Barry, do you think that someday you could pray for us?" He was profoundly touched at the words of these children, ages 6 and 7, and simply said, "Yes, I can do that." The moment Barry walked through that door he was changed forever, impacted by two young souls and their infinite wisdom. In the weeks following his work at Dream Street, Barry was troubled with the prejudices that innocent children must go through when they are stricken with AIDS. One night he was struck with a vision: the concept of a place where children could run free and play with one another whether infected or not. Though he had no education in nonprofit development or fundraising, Barry worked tirelessly to organize his vision. No matter how fearsome the challenges or negativity, he kept one picture clearly in his mind... the faces of those two little boys, to whom he made a promise. It became The Safe Place. The two boys were not the only inspiration for Barry. Soon after TSP inception, he met a remarkable little girl named Jessica Hart. Her breathtaking vulnerability, courage and inner strength profoundly touched him, and though her health was declining, she fought battle after battle to overcome ostracism, rejection and ridicule. She taught Barry the most valuable lessons in his life: to cherish and live in each moment, take nothing for granted, never back down from what you believe in, allow no one to violate your boundaries, fight for equality, and with your last ounce of energy, painstakingly focus yourself in the direction of your dreams. The day Jessica passed, her loving parents, Sara and Matthew, called Barry to their home. He arrived, held Jessica's lifeless body in his arms, and wept for the loss of the biggest, bravest person he had ever known.