By Beth Ann Miller From Daily American

Conemaugh Township Area Middle/High School music teacher Mari Grace Lingenfelter and her daughter Kadiya joined in a record-setting dive July 20 on Grand Cayman Island to help raise money for breast cancer research.

They were among 107 women to grasp each other’s hands along a 300-foot rope line and dive together about 15 to 20 feet down into the bright blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, forming the world’s longest underwater chain of women divers.

“It was awesome to see all these women come together for such a special cause,” Mari Grace said. “It was such a great atmosphere — everyone was celebrating. There was such an excitement to be part of the process of creating a world record.”

The event was organized by Divetech, a scuba diving training and rental company in Grand Cayman, to celebrate PADI Women’s Dive Day 2019. PADI is an international organization that oversees scuba diving certifications.

Through registration fees and a raffle of prizes donated by businesses on the island, this year’s event raised $6,500 for the Cayman Breast Cancer Foundation, according to an event update posted at the Divetech website. This was the second year that Divetech has sponsored a women’s group dive to break a world record and raise money; last year’s dive included 86 women and raised over $3,000 for the foundation.

Mari Grace and Kadiya now have matching diving wristbands to remember the experience.

“It was a highlight for both of us,” Mari Grace said.

Mari Grace has been a certified open water diver for 20 years, and her children are also active scuba divers. Kadiya, age 16, earned her junior open water certification at age 10 and recently completed an open water certification. Son Hayden, who is 13, earned his junior open water certification this summer as well.

The family learned about plans for this year’s world record dive from Mari Grace’s aunt and uncle, who live on Grand Cayman.

“My aunt is a retired certified dive instructor,” Mari Grace said. “We go there for vacation every few years to visit them and go dive. They told me about the dive event and I thought it would be something special for the two of us (Mari Grace and Kadiya) to do together, because we’re both women.”

They also wanted to honor those who have been affected by breast cancer, including Mari Grace’s grandmother and Joanna Mikutowicz, the owner of Divetech, who worked with Kadiya during her junior open water certification.

“Joanna had breast cancer and she started this event to raise funds (for the foundation),” Mari Grace said. “My grandma (her uncle’s mother) died of breast cancer, and so we wanted to support the cause in her memory.”

At Conemaugh Township, Mari Grace is noting her 25th year as choral music teacher at the middle/high school. In 2017 she and her former colleague, now-retired band teacher Suzette Gardenhour — who is also a breast cancer survivor — started the “Music Makes Us Stronger Fund.”

The fund, managed by the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, raises money to offer financial assistance to students, employees, music program alumni or residents of the Conemaugh Township area who are receiving cancer treatment. More information on this fund is available at the foundation’s website,cfalleghenies.org.

“I’ve known so many people close to me who were going through treatment or did not win their battle against cancer,” Mari Grace said. “Until we have a cure, this (fundraising) is the best we can do until that time comes.”

For more on this story go to: https://www.dailyamerican.com/ourtownjohnstown/family/mother-daughter-divers-help-break-world-record/article_f5289ff3-2383-585c-9aa9-5c438ba27ee4.html