Those who passed the Muskingum County Courthouse Thursday night probably thought it was lit a festive orange for Halloween, but for those gathered at the courthouse steps, the orange glow beaconed a much stronger message throughout Muskingum County.

Orange represents the National Bullying Prevention Month of October, the very mission Team Coby carries each day of the year since the organization was formed in March, one week after 12 year-old Coby Bleakney died by suicide.

The Maysville 6th grader’s death came as a shock to Coby’s parents, Chad and Tammy Bleakney, but they quickly sprang into action to honor their son.

“Basically, how we got to where we are now is the need for change,” said Tammy Bleakney. “We’d decided when we lost our son, that something had to be different here in Zanesville.”

Team Coby has come a long way since it was founded.

“Seven months ago when, unfortunately, we lost our son, nobody wanted to say there was bullying here,” said Tammy Bleakney. “I mean, and it was all the schools. We didn’t have bullying. You go to a public official? There’s not bullying here.”

But once the raw emotion eased on either side, the community became more receptive of Team Coby and its purpose.

“Seven months later, our word’s been heard,” said Tammy Bleakney. “And now people are saying, ‘Yes, there is bullying. Yes, we need help.’ A lot of the local schools have brought speakers in. They’re implementing programs into their school.”

And at one school, Team Coby may soon become part of its programming.

On Monday, Team Coby will pitch the “Save Program” to the local school in hope that the students will become more proactive in bullying and suicide prevention.

“They will get to create some sort of project that year for awareness for bullying, suicide or any other type of life crisis these kids might be going through, and we will implement that, school approved,” said Tammy Bleakney.

At the end of the program, one student leader will be awarded the inaugural Team Coby scholarship in the amount of $500.

“Wherever we go, they’re starting to understand we’re not the big bad person that we were previously made out to be,” said Tammy Bleakney. “We just want to make sure that our kids are safe.”