“I made an extreme negative into a positive — that was my goal,” says DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ Shelley Hennig (Stephanie), who become a crusader against underage drinking after losing her older brother, Brad, to a drinking and driving accident in 2001.
Following the tragedy, Hennig began working with the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (CADA), a Louisiana nonprofit community health agency. Then, the young actress became a spokesperson for Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Buzz Free Prom project.
“My brother was only 18 when he died,” recounts Hennig softly. ” There were four people in the car. Two of them survived. My brother and this girl passed away. We don’t know who the driver was. And it doesn’t really matter who was drinking.”
What does matter is that two young lives were lost and that one of them was Hennig’s beloved brother. While the actress has never gotten over the tragedy, she has found that lending her time and support to these groups has proven somewhat therapeutic. “Since I was 16 I’ve been going around speaking at different schools about losing my brother to a drinking and driving crash,” says Hennig. “My goal and hope was to show people that you’re untouchable.”
Lately, Hennig has become very involved with Buzz Free Prom. “The organization’s mission is to take alcohol out of the prom equation,” explains Hennig. “You get teenagers, kids in high school, to sign a pledge that they won’t drink on prom night. They all get together and make this pact.”
Hennig has participated in Buzz Free Prom tours on the West Coast, sharing her experience with masses of teenagers. “I wasn’t telling people my story to get sympathy,” maintains Henig. “I just wanted everyone to know that this could happen to anybody. Drinking and driving is a choice. It’s not something you have to do. So be careful, because it’s not worth it.”
