The Brightside: Teal Bay Mitzvah
OCEAN PINES, Md – Five women have dedicated their lives to good deeds, their community, and inspiring others to do the same; Showing like-minded people can come together and make a big difference. “It feels like we live in paradise but the world has a lot of holes that need filling,” says Margit Novack, one of the founders of Teal Bay Mitzvah.
Living with purpose, and making a difference; A group of five women out of Ocean pines right in Teal Bay created a group that does just that.
Teal Bay Mitzvah is a team that makes good deeds their job. “We’re very mindful of how lucky we are and want to do something that made a difference, locally but regionally or in the world,” says Novack. Helen Johnson, another member of the team adds, “I guess it’s my background as a nurse and wanting to give back and wanting to help others, this has been an extension of that.
Mitzvah means good deeds, and this group of women who all met while walking their dogs realized they had one thing in common; Wanting to put ‘mitzvah’ in the world, while uplifting their community. Whether it was creating banners in memory of the Uvalde shooting victims, ‘Uvalde school shooting happened and in 24 hours, we mobilized saying we have to do something, what can we do,” says Novack. Or even packing goodies bags for the elderly, and the homeless, Johnson adds, “There’s nothing more than the residents getting their little gift bag and everyone wants a pair of nice new socks, warm socks.”
whether collecting pet supplies for shelters, helping women all over the world make a business for themselves by selling used and new shoes collected here on the shore, or even providing food and snacks for students at Berlin Head Start, Teal Bay Mitzvah does it all. “We wanted to share and inspire other people that we can each make a difference, and if we can mobilize each other, we can make an even bigger impact and be even more grateful for the community we live in,” says Novack.
Team members work right out of their homes, doing whatever is necessary to see a need and fill it. Especially for those who haven’t experienced life’s luxuries. “You don’t want to hold that onto yourself, you want to send that outward and I think that’s the main thing that I feel so committed to,” says Cyndy Spicknall, Teal Bay Mitzvah team member. She adds, “I feel that we need purpose in life and it is inspiring, we inspire each other often in ideas we come up with.”
While the organization is only two years old, they’re already making plans for the future. Johnson says, “Getting others to give, perhaps getting others to realize there are ways that they can help and share their happiness and their gratefulness.” Novack adds, “There’s no end to different needs that exist and we’ll find one and then another and another and we hope to continue for a long time. We can’t fill all the needs in the world but we can make a difference in our little part of the world.”
Team members also tell 47 ABC, they hope to recruit more volunteers to assist with their efforts. For collaborations and other donation ideas, email tbmt@gmail.com.
