Bike run to honor Teddy, benefit victims of abuse

YOUNGSTOWN

With the exception of one, the six people gathered Friday afternoon around a table at Papa’s Sports Bar on Poland Avenue hadn’t known Teddy Foltz.

But though they had never met him — the polite and loving boy who endured years of abuse at the hands of his mother’s then-boyfriend, Zaryl Bush, and died Jan. 26, 2013, at age 14 from a blow to the head so severe he couldn’t recover — they were touched by his story. And they wanted to help other children avoid a similar fate.

So, on June 29, those six people and several others will host the first Teddy Foltz Memorial Poker Bike Run at Papa’s Sports Bar, 1639 Poland Ave., with all proceeds going to Sojourner House, which provides crisis intervention, education, advocacy and shelter for Mahoning County’s victims of domestic violence.

“We wanted to get the word out about child abuse,” said Kelly Plummer, Teddy’s godmother, who added that she also wanted to help local women and children in need. “No child should live in fear.”

Sign-ups for the bike run will begin at 10 a.m. June 29 and will be preceded by a $5 breakfast starting at 7 a.m. The bike run will start promptly at 1 p.m.

Read more about the event in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.