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Cheryl Juaire
Cheryl is the proud mom of three sons: Robert, Sean and Corey. In 2011, at the beginning of the opioid epidemic, Corey died of an overdose at age 23. At the time, Cheryl didn't know anyone with a child who had died, let alone from an overdose. And for the next two and a half years, she and her family grieved alone. Then one night, she received an invitation to meet other mothers who had lost a child from an overdose. It was then that she knew how much grieving parents, parents whose child had died from SUD, needed one another.
In 2015, Cheryl founded Team Sharing – MA, a support group within her own state where parents meet and support one another and has since started chapters in 8 other states that do the same, including the national chapter TEAM SHARING.
In 2017, six years after Corey's death, Team Sharing, Inc became a 501(c)3, nationwide support network for families who have lost a loved one through addiction. Cheryl's grief, though it does not define her, has inspired her to reach every family, in all 50 states, that are grieving from the loss of their child through addiction, as well as those children that were left behind.
Cheryl has worked closely with Jim Wahlberg from the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation with his Summits on Opioid awareness across the country, and was in the short film "If Only" that was produced by Jim as well. Cheryl co-lead a drop-in outreach center in Hudson, MA called "MetroWest HOPE" (Help, Outreach, Prevention, Education) and in July 2017 Cheryl was awarded the Hometown Hero Award from Boston 25 News Zip Trip for her work in the community. Most recently, in October 2018 Cheryl was the recipient of the Teen Challenge "Woman of the Year award."
Cheryl and her husband, Peter, live in Central Massachusetts. They are the proud grandparents of Faith, Corey's daughter, and 6 other grandchildren.
Kathleen Scarpone
Kay is the proud mom of two children Joseph and Kelly. Joseph served in the US Marine Corp from 2007 to 2011 including a one year tour in Afghanistan. A combination of PTSD and opioid use lead to his death in 2015. Kay grieved the loss of her son in silence as she did not know of any other mom who suffered the loss of their child from overdose. Seven months later someone reached out to her to tell her there was group of mom's known as Team Sharing MA. Kay contacted the founder, Cheryl Juaire and the two met on Mother's Day for a 5K walk to end addiction. Kay and Cheryl quickly formed a friendship and it felt like they had known each other all their lives. She had finally met another mom who understood her grief which helped her deal with the loss of her son.
Since meeting Cheryl in 2016, Kay was instrumental in helping Cheryl start a new chapter, Team Sharing NH. Kay is an Administrator of both Team Sharing MA and Team Sharing NH.
Kay has appeared several times on WMUR's "State of Addiction" news specials and also participated in the Opioid Summits in both Massachusetts and NH sponsored by the Wahlberg Foundation.
Kay is a sponsor of Teen Challenge, and assisted with the Town of Derry, NH, proclamation naming August 31st as National Overdose Awareness Day. The names of all those who passed where read at a town Vigil as well as the reading of the Proclamation.
She has also traveled to Washington DC to meet with the Interim Director of the Drug Enforcement Administration to share her concerns about what needs to be done regards to further education for our youth.
Kay and her Husband, Jim reside in Kingston, NH
Cynthia Wyman
Cynthia is the proud mother of two children, Paul and Cathleen. Cathleen struggled with Substance Use Disorder for 7 years. Cynthia educated herself through various support groups, websites, social media and the court system as she helped her daughter to the journey of recovery. Cathleen, after having been sober for over two years, succumbed to substance use disorder after a valiant fight on April 23, 2015.
Following her daughter's death, Cynthia got involved with Matthew's Candle, a grief group for parents who have lost children due to SUD. Cynthia later joined the Facebook page MA-Team Sharing MA. After participating in several "If Only" events sponsored by the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, Cynthia became a facilitator for Matthew's Candle and the newly formed group "We are their Candles."
Cynthia has participated in the Fed Up and Facing Addiction rallies for grieving parents in Washington DC, and the Opioid Summits in Lowell MA and Manchester NH. She became a member of the WSAPT "Weymouth Substance Abuse Prevention Team" in May of 2017, to educate and promote a drug free living. She also participated in the candle light town vigil for SUD.
Cynthia also serves four nights a month in the EBHope and PCOHope Outreach centers with a grief resource table. Cynthia resides in Hanson Massachusetts. She is the proud grandmother of three.
Mary Peckham
Mary is the proud mom of three children, Carrie, Matthew and Raechel. She has been a stay at home mom with her own small business sewing slipcovers for over thirty years. In April of 2011 Mary found her son overdosing and had no idea what was happening or that Matthew was a heroin addict. Eighteen months later on Sept. 4, 2012 she found Matthew dead from an overdose.
After months and months of grieving alone and living the brutal reality of the stigma of this disease, Mary connected immediately with Cheryl through an online FB group, and then through phone calls. In 2015 Mary went with Cheryl and other grieving parents to the Fedup Rally in Washington DC to have their voices heard and to spark change in this fight to end addiction and the stigma.
After becoming a part of Team Sharing, Mary was encouraged by Cheryl and nudged by God to start her own in-person grief support group. In October of 2015 she created " Matthew's Candle", in Hanson, MA a group that meets the third Tuesday of every month for anyone who may have lost a loved one to addiction. In August of 2017 she joined with another mother in grief and together they started "We are their Candles" in Plymouth. That also meets once a month on the 2nd Thursday.
Mary has brought much joy to members of loss as she uses her talent to sew memorial bears made from loved ones clothing as a tribute to her son Matthew and as part of her own healing journey.
Mary has participated in the Opioid Summits in Lowell MA and Manchester NH in support of the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation with James Wahlberg and his "If Only" presentation. She has traveled to Washington DC with other grieving parents and again with James Wahlberg to present the short film "If Only" to the Interim Director of the Drug Enforcement Administration as they voiced their concerns about this ongoing epidemic and ways to help.
Mary also participates 4 nights throughout the month in the EB Hope and PCO Hope outreach centers with a grief resource table. Mary lives with her husband Gregg and their daughters and granddaughter Abigail in Halifax MA.
Lynn Wencus
Lynn is the proud mom of three children, Jeff, Mandy and Lauren. Jeff suffered from SUD for almost ten years and had been clean for 6 months before he fatally overdosed on February 5, 2017. At that time, Lynn made a promise to herself that Jeff's death would not be merely a statistic in the national opioid epidemic. She joined the Board of Cultivate Care Farms in Bolton, MA and served as a committee member of #2069.
Attending her first overdose vigil, Lynn met Cheryl and many other parents who have lost child/children to SUD. At that time, she became a member of Team Sharing, quickly realizing that she was not alone in grieving for a child lost to an overdose or the outrage of a flawed system for treating addiction. After being asked to join the Team Sharing Board of Directors, Lynn decided that in order to be effective, she would have to concentrate all of her energies on one organization. In April of 2018, she joined the Team Sharing Board.
Lynn and her husband, Joe, reside in Wrentham, MA.
Gary & Tracy Carter
Gary and Tracy are the proud parents of 2 children, Bryant and Morgan. Bryant fought addiction all alone before asking for help in August 2011. Years of constant doctor appointments, mental health intervention, including a 2 week day program didn't help Bryant out of his depression. One night in 2015, Bryant attended an outreach program called Metrowest Hope at Grace Baptist Church. From this, Bryant started attending Celebrate Recovery. Finally, he took a friend's advice to make it to a church service and was so welcomed that he stayed. Eventually he was baptized and was participating with the church 4 times a week. Bryant lost his struggle with addiction in February of 2018.
Throughout Bryant's struggle, Gary and Tracy were also actively fighting for his recovery. Fighting to get him medical attention in 2011 was a horrible experience. An active suffering addict can't wait weeks for assistance. It was a very dark time. Hours of phone calls and begging and fighting finally got Bryant a referral for help. He would struggle with his recovery in a broken system for years. This experience is what has inspired Gary and Tracy to get involved.
Through his 7 year battle, Gary and Tracy attended AA and NA with Bryant. Over the past 2 years Tracy has been active with the Maynard Elks Drug Awareness program and many community events.
Gary and Tracy attended the March at Purdue in CT and helped facilitate getting parents of children lost to SUD to the Fed Up Rally in DC in October 2018.
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