How we work
WHAT WE ARE.
Families United to Prevent Drowning is a group of individual families who have banded together to put an end to the silent epidemic that is drowning. Drowning has become so commonplace that each incident is often treated with casual interest, reduced to "just another drowning" on the local news. Meanwhile, the epidemic marches on, claiming the lives of thousands of Americans each year, leaving countless shattered hearts in its wake. The names are different, but collectively, our families face the same empty chair, every day. Drowning is the #1 cause of accidental death for children ages 1 to 4, #2 up to age 14, and 5th overall. United we say, "Not one more drowning." Not one more empty chair.
WHAT WE'RE NOT.
While many of our member families have their own 501(c)(3) organizations, Families United to Prevent Drowning intentionally does not have its own non-profit status. We're not interested in becoming diluted with organizational bureaucracy and executive hierarchy. Simply put, we are broken hearts united with one voice to create change. Our power rests firmly in the combined impact of our stories. At Families United, numbers become names.
How to join.
There are so many ways water can take lives. As a result, our country's drowning prevention voice is fragmented, siloed and often disjointed. With Families United, that changes. We've lost our loved ones in different ways. But one thing is undeniably the same: "Drowning is preventable." There's no good way, no good age, no good place, to lose someone you love in the water. Drowning is drowning. Therefore, we are purposefully drowning-agnostic. Whether pools, lakes, oceans or bathtubs, the "how" does not matter. The "why" does. We are relentlessly inclusive and work with any organization whose legitimate mission is to end drowning. Learn more.
There's no such thing as being "drown-proof."
Drowning doesn't discriminate.
Where there's water, there's drowning.
All ages. All races. All places.
1. Pools, Spas & Drains
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EVERY YEAR, 1000+ CHILDREN DIE IN POOLS & SPAS. THOUSANDS MORE ARE HOSPITALIZED. drowning is fast and it's silent. it can happen in the time it takes to text a friend.
2. Open Water: Lakes, Rivers & oceans
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84% of drowning victims in boating accidents were not wearing a life vest. Drowning rates triple at age 15 in open water and remain elevated through adulthood.
3. Bathtubs & Buckets
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drowning can happen anywhere. Even in an inch of water such as a bucket, kiddie pool or a slightly filled bathtub, especially when children are left unattended.
Local reach.
National impact.
