(DiverWire) Atlanta resident Zachary Bernstein is sponsoring an event to raise awareness and funds to benefit Diveheart. The twelve-year old is coordinating the event as a service project in preparation for his February bar mitzvah which will be held at the Georgia Aquarium. Diveheart is a not-for-profit organization that provides scuba diving for children, adults and veterans with physical and cognitive disabilities.
Zachary decided that Diveheart would be the beneficiary because of his interest in scuba diving, and his compassion for individuals with disabilities. “I wanted to do this because I love to scuba dive and I think it is awesome that kids and adults with disabilities can love to dive as much as I do. They also get the added benefit of being free from their disability while they are diving. It’s cool,” said Zachary.
“I was completely amazed when I heard about this young man’s plans,” said Jim Elliott, president/founder of Diveheart. “We love it when young people are inspired by Diveheart and the impact that we have on peoples’ lives, and we’re in turn inspired when they are motivated to give back in the way that Zachary is doing.”
“We are very grateful to SeaVentures for helping Zachary with his project, as a sponsor of the event,” said Elliott.
The event, which will be held on August 11th and 12th, will give individuals with disabilities and their families, the chance to be introduced to scuba diving. Elliott and other individuals experienced in adaptive scuba diving will be present to give instruction. “Zachary has coordinated an entire weekend for people with disabilities to try scuba diving. We’re hoping that they’ll come out and give it a try. At the same time we’ll be having raffles and prizes, and will sell special key chains, to help benefit Diveheart’s mission of building confidence and independence in children, adults and veterans with disabilities,” said Elliott. Zachary, who is an avid scuba diver, has been working towards completing all of his steps towards certification as a master diver, in order to help at the Discover Scuba Event, as well as to be part of the Diveheart team in the future.
WHAT: Discover Scuba Event for individuals with disabilities and their families
WHERE: SeaVentures, 2880 Holcomb Bridge Road, Alpharetta, Georgia
WHEN: August 11-12, 2012
We are seeking individuals with disabilities to participate in the event, donors of items for prize items, and financial donations to benefit Diveheart. For additional information about Diveheart, visit www.diveheart.org
For more information and videos on Zachary’s Diveheart event at SeaVentures, visit www.seaventures.com
