Yuma, Arizona (NAPSI) - You can help to reduce the number of adult drownings in your community this summer by learning to swim and encouraging others to join you.

That’s the word from the experts at the Swimming Saves Lives Foundation. It has launched a nationwide campaign to reduce the number of adult drownings, declaring the month of April “Adult Learn-to-Swim Month.” So far the governors of Nebraska, Indiana and Washington have issued declarations in support.

Alarmingly, 37 percent of American adults cannot swim the length of a 25-yard pool, according to the Centers for Disease Control. This puts them at risk for becoming one of the 10 people who drown every day in the U.S.

“If we can convince water-shy adults to learn to swim in April, we hope to save lives when people gather at pools and beaches for summer recreation,” says Rob Butcher, executive director of U.S. Masters Swimming.

He adds that once adults learn the lifesaving skill of swimming, 1,500 programs are available nationwide to encourage adults to keep swimming and enjoy the lifetime health, fitness and social benefits of swimming.

To learn more or find an adult learn-to-swim program, go to www.usms.org/learntoswim.