The late Shanta Hanish, a onetime Albuquerque Parks and Recreation lifeguard. | facebook.com/shanta.hanish/
The third annual Al’burrr’querque Polar Bear Plunge was held recently at Sierra Vista Pool on the west side of Albuquerque to raise funds and remember a former lifeguard who was tragically murdered nearly four years ago.
“This is the third year that we’ve done this," Josh Herbert, an aquatics division manager for the Albuquerque Parks and Recreation Department, told KOB.
Participants paid $40 to take a cold plunge, or a longer chilly ride down the slide. “The reason why we set it at $40 is our swimming lessons costs $40,” Herbert said.
The money goes toward a scholarship fund started in honor of Shanta Hanish, a former lifeguard who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2019.
“The proceeds for this go toward putting someone in need through swimming lessons,” Herbert said.
Shanta Hanish, 19, and her mother Laura Hanish, 58, were stabbed to death in June 2019 by Shanta's ex-boyfriend, Jesus Cartagena, who was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
“Shanta Hanish was one of our head guards, and she was one of our leaders [at] the Highland pool,” Herbert said. “She taught swimming lessons. She taught lifeguard classes. We decided to start that scholarship in her name so her memory and her passion lives on.”
