In one quick motion, Tammy Bleakney slammed her hand on a red, plastic cup, smashing it with a startling pop loud enough to catch everyone’s attention seated in the picnic shelter at South Zanesville’s Village Park.

The word “sorry” can’t undo the damage done, and that’s the message Bleakney wants her small group to learn during the first Team Coby meeting of the school year.

Team Coby is a anti-bullying group founded by Bleakney after her 12-year-old son, Coby Bleakney, died by suicide last spring.

He was a 6th grader at Maysville Middle School.

A week after his death, Team Coby was formed.

“My child was the sweetest, purest soul you would have ever met. I mean he truly was,” said Bleakney. “And, this is what he would expect from me, because he would not want another child to go through what he was going through.”

Team Coby members consist of children and adults, many of whom are also victims of bullying, but indistinguishably, there are also bullies amongst the group.

The goal is to make people aware of bullying and provide education and support on the issue.

Bleakney said she knew her child was getting picked on at school and online, but she didn’t know to what extent he was being bullied.

“The way bullying was when I was a child is not how it is today,” said Bleakney. “I was unaware, and I educated myself, too late to help my child, but in enough time to help these other kids.”

Bleakney mentioned the nationwide trends in bullying that involve telling others to kill themselves and sharing videos on how to do it, a concept that was unheard of when she was growing up.

“We’ve got to make people aware of what bullying consists of now, and how to extremes these kids are taking it,” said Bleakney.

Bleakney wants to see changes in schools, too. She does not blame teachers for what happened to Coby, saying teachers can’t be everywhere, but she wants more to be done so it doesn’t happen to another child.

For instance, Bleakney wants more supervision in the hallways when 6th and 7th graders are changing classes among the older high school students.

She also wants to see complaints of bullying taken more seriously.

“To one child, you may not think it’s serious, but to another child that’s going through issues at home, it can be something major,” said Bleakney.

With her older kids grown, and Coby now gone, Bleakney is making it her mission to see that no one else feels as helpless as her son once did.

“Team Coby is like my child, because I know my child had nobody to turn to,” said Bleakney. “And I was angry at first, because I wanted to know why there wasn’t, because he wasn’t the first child that passed.”

At their weekly meetings, Team Coby offers support for children being bullied. There are peers and adults on site for mentorship, as well as a counselor and national resources for bullying and suicide prevention.

Bleakney said it’s her faith in God that keeps her going, even when the meetings get emotionally tough for her to handle.

“If I cry too much, you’re looking for sympathy. If you don’t cry enough, then you’re cold hearted. And I’ll be honest with you, there’s times that I will get up and I’ll speak and I’ll have to go off to the corner and I’m bawling,” said Bleakney. “Dry the eyes, come back and act like nothing hurts, because if these kids see me hurting, I can’t help them. Because they’re wanting someone strong”

Bleakney is not just being strong for the children in Team Coby, but for their families, too.

“It’s the hardest thing anybody could ever do,” said Bleakney. “If I could stop one parent from walking in my shoes, it’s worth it.”

To continue the efforts of Team Coby, the non-profit organization is hosting its first annual Poker Run on Sept. 1 at Lazy River Lounge in Zanesville.

Registration for the event begins at 9 a.m. and the first bike leaves at 11 a.m.

There will be food, drinks, music and a silent auction throughout the day.

The last bike is expected to come in at 5 p.m.

For more information on Team Coby, visit www.CobyBleakney.org