Step Up, Stand Together: Why Shatterproof Team Captains Walk
Every person who joins the Shatterproof Walk to End Addiction has a reason for showing up.
Some walk to honor someone they love. Others walk to celebrate recovery, or because they believe addiction should be treated like any other medical condition - with compassion and quality care.
And some decide to take one more step: becoming a team captain and getting others to join them at the walk.
Team Captains play a vital role in the Shatterproof Walk, rallying friends, family members, coworkers and communities around a shared purpose. But you don't need to be an experienced fundraiser or advocate to lead a team. Sometimes, all it takes is a reason to care and the willingness to get started.
For Team Captains Jacqueline Hanson and Mario Bencivenga, that decision stemmed from two very different experiences with addiction, and a shared desire to turn those experiences into action.
Walking for Jayce
For Jacqueline, the journey to the Shatterproof Walk began with her son, Jayce. On April 16, 2024, Jacqueline lost her 29-year-old son to addiction. She remembers Jayce as a fighter and someone who continued to get back up despite the shame, physical pain and emotional suffering he endured. “My son was a true-blue warrior,” Jacqueline said. “He never, ever gave up.”
After Jayce's death, Jacqueline made a promise to carry on his legacy. She didn't know exactly what that would look like until she discovered Shatterproof.
She initially considered volunteering, but the more she learned about the Walk, the more she felt drawn to becoming a Team Captain.
“I felt compelled to do it, and I decided I would just dive right in,” she said.
On Walk Day, Jacqueline found something else she hadn't expected: a community that understood. "I felt connected to everyone,” she said. “I shared tears and hugs with mothers and other families who had lost a beloved person in their life. They understood my grief in a way that people who have not been through it don’t understand.” Today, Jacqueline sees her involvement as a way to continue the fight her son started. “I've been able to turn tragedy into a meaningful purpose,” she said. “My son's legacy lives on loud and clear. I've picked up where he left off in the battle, and I continue to fight for my warrior son. I am now Mama Warrior.”
Finding community through recovery
Mario's path to becoming a Team Captain started differently.
Now preparing for his third Shatterproof Walk, Mario is open about his recovery and is studying substance use counseling at Stony Brook University. After getting involved with student government, he and his classmates decided to create a Walk team. When it came time to choose someone to lead it, Mario was a natural fit.
For him, taking on that role builds on a realization he discovered at his very first Shatterproof Walk: he wasn't alone.
“Before I found Shatterproof, I felt very insecure and alone, like I was the only 24-year-old that was getting sober,” Mario said.
At the Walk, he encountered other young adults whose lives had also been impacted by addiction and recovery.
“It was very eye-opening because I realized that there's a whole community out there,” he said. “It was just kind of a beautiful surprise.”
One moment from that first Walk still stands out. As Shatterproof founder Gary Mendell shared the story of losing his son, Brian, Mario became emotional. A couple nearby noticed and approached him to make sure he was okay.
“That was special because it really just showed that you're not alone,” Mario said. “There's a community.”
You can start where you are
Becoming a Team Captain is a powerful way to turn your connection to this cause into action. But both Jacqueline and Mario have a message for anyone wondering whether they're ready: start where you are.
“You'll find your own place,” Jacqueline said. “You'll find the place that fits you best.”
Mario agrees. Whether that means sharing a Shatterproof message, donating, joining a Walk or eventually leading a team, your involvement can grow at your own pace.
And while Mario acknowledges that leading a team takes commitment, he believes it's worth it.
“If you're going to be busy, be busy with something like this,” he said.
This fall, the Shatterproof Walk to End Addiction will bring communities together in Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles and Dallas. You can also participate virtually through Walk Your Way from wherever you are.
Register as a Team Captain and invite the people in your life to walk alongside you. Or simply register to participate and experience the community for yourself.
However you choose to join us, there is a place for you at the Shatterproof Walk to End Addiction.
