Chelmsford Residents Donate Over $16,000 in Resources to AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod

Chelmsford residents Jeph and Kevin Barry are the current titleholders in a yearly winter fundraising contest held in Provincetown this past February. They are known in the community as Mr. and Mr. Snowbound 2016. The first ever couple to be selected to hold a title normally reserved for a single person, they have broken barriers most thought unbreakable. In kind with their new title, their mission as this year's titleholders is to "change the face" of the leather community in Provincetown. In accordance with this goal, they have collected over $16,000 for the purpose of providing medication to HIV patients around the world who need them. Their efforts are helping to save the lives of many HIV/AIDS sufferers the world over. The leather community is a perpetually changing one. It is a community that thrives on social interaction, a sense of being, and a true sense of community unlike any other. Similarly, as a couple, Jeph and Kevin enjoy a sense of true companionship to the point at which their friends think they are simply two halves of the same person!

Jeph and Kevin have been loyal to their community as well as to their mission of raising money and awareness for HIV/AIDS research. They have worked diligently to set and achieve goals that are challenging, yet reachable. By winning the 2016 Snowbound fundraising contest, they have effectively raised the bar for the winners of the contest for years to come! With this achievement, they will add recognition and awareness for the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, a group extremely worthy of their efforts and time.

This is the first of many fundraising events Jeph and Kevin are planning, including a late summer fundraising pool party at their 4-acre suburban estate, an art show/fundraising auction in September in conjunction with Provincetown’s Mates Leather Weekend which takes place in October, and participation in ASGCC's 5K run in July. Both are endurance athletes and plan to be visible and competitive in the race. Jeph is at home winning age group titles in endurance races and currently holds a course record in a 50K ultramarathon in Georgia.

On June 22, Jeph and Kevin presented Mr. Joe Carleo, CEO of the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, with over $16,000 in resources for the specific purpose of providing much needed medication to those who cannot otherwise afford it, and have been a part of almost $17,000 in fundraising so far this year. Their efforts are not complete; they plan on hitting an even larger number with their next donation and hope to break some records before their reign as Mr. and Mr. Snowbound Leather 2016 ends next February.

Jeph and Kevin Barry are also affiliated with Outer Cape Health Services, and are friends to many other Provincetown residents, businesses, and organizations. Jeph and Kevin own a Chelmsford-based fitness business, as well as a landscape architecture and interior design firm, also based in Chelmsford.