The drowning death of a 3-year-old in Gilbert, one of many recently, brings the drowning crisis very close to home.

These deaths affect so many members of the community, families, firefighters, neighbors and classmates. Everyone talks about them. Everyone has strong emotions about them. We all have a choice about what we want to do with those emotions.

You can express frustration by condemning a parent who already is experiencing a pain worse than any of us can imagine. This was the choice made, for example, by Reavis Franklin in his letter to the editor July 7

As the water safety coordinator for Water Watchers at Phoenix Children's Hospital, and as an advocate for drowning prevention for the past four years, I have come to know many families who have lost children to drowning. Without exception, they express to me the pain that such criticism causes.

Angry letters to the editor merely allow the writer to vent frustration. Such a letter misses the opportunity to recognize that this tragedy could happen to any of us. Every parent at some point in time, has taken their eyes off their child. None of us should cast the first stone because all of us are capable of mistakes.

A typical drowning results from an amazingly brief lapse in supervision, combined with the improper use or lack of a barrier.

Critical letters also miss the opportunity to educate. Angry, judgmental letters don't encourage you to take a CPR class. Nor do they give you the tools you need to make your home safer, or tips about talking to your child about water safety. No one has ever told me that an angry letter to the editor made them decide to watch their child closer, or install a pool fence.

So what is the other option? Can you do something productive, something that expresses both compassion for families and a desire for greater education about water safety?

Yes, you can. And many people are already involved. It is Drowning Impact Awareness Month, otherwise known as the "purple ribbon campaign."

This effort encompasses municipalities throughout Maricopa County and Arizona.

There are many levels of support for it, from the proclamations passed by the governor and Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman, to the thousands of individuals who will pin on their purple ribbons.

Here are some positive actions that you can take to be a part of the effort:

• Wear a purple ribbon to remind everyone to be water safe and to remember the impact of drownings. You can pick one up at Gilbert Fire Administration, 85 E. Civic Center Drive, and at K and K Papery, at 309 N. Gilbert Road. Other Valley pickup sites can be found at www.phoenixchildrens.com.

• Practice the ABCs of water safety. Have adult supervision in place when children have access to water, keep barriers between children and water, take classes in CPR regularly and place children in swimming lessons at the appropriate age.

• Encourage special prayers to be said in church in memory of children lost to drowning, and keep families touched by drowning in your prayers.

• Ask your baby-sitters if they have had CPR classes. If they haven't, sign them up in August and offer to pay.

• Take the message with you to work, church, and school functions, by including safety tips in newsletters, allowing your business to be a pickup point for ribbons, or taking CPR classes as a group.

By coming together as a community, in a positive effort, we are turning our frustration, sorrow, and anger into something useful.

Will a purple ribbon stop a drowning? No one can say for sure. But it can foster discussion, encourage compassion and express support.

It will make you feel as though you are part of the solution to a heartbreaking problem, and that is something everyone can feel good about.

Reproduced with permission from: The Arizona Republic By Tiffaney Isaacson ©Copyright 2003 Arizona Republic