Two sisters from La Crosse are leading a community-wide event this Sunday to bring people closer together.

They want to the community to come up with ways to prevent future drownings, like the one that happened to their brother 24 years ago.

"As we come together Sunday, we want to link arms and show our support and solidarity to this community," said Lisa Schwartzhoff.

Lisa and her sister Paula Homp say 21-year-old Craig Meyers’ recent drowning in the Mississippi River hits close to home for them.

That’s because in 1986, their 17-year-old brother Terry drowned the in River after drinking at a party.

Paula says when another drowning occurs, their thoughts go back to their brother.

"We hate to see another family go through that and if you can find a way to prevent that from happening, you’ll do everything in your power to do it," Homp said.

So Paula and Lisa will lead a human chain along the Mississippi River in Riverside Park this Sunday.

"As we stand together, the strength in numbers shows power and support and that we can make a change in this city," Lisa said.

The sisters want the community to find a way to stop the shocking number of young people who have gotten intoxicated and drowned in the river.

Meyers’ death last week is the ninth time in 13 years that an intoxicated college-aged man has drowned in the Mississippi.

"I was on a lot of Facebook groups and reading everybody’s ideas and blaming everybody, blaming somebody or something on the recent drownings and listening to everybody’s ideas," Paula said.

So she thought about creating an event where the community can come together and share ideas on what to do about the problem, instead of pointing fingers.

"We’re hoping to hear all the ideas on that day," Paula explained. "If they don’t want to voice their ideas, there’s gonna be an opportunity to write them down.”

Paula and Lisa have been working with La Crosse County Tavern League President Mike Brown to help plan Sunday’s event.

"This is about coming to a positive solution and people who think they can make a difference and step up," Brown said.

"I just think it’s very important as a community as a whole to come together and show their support for this cause and stop it from happening again," said Lisa.

A cause Lisa and Paula hope will bring the community closer together and make a difference in the future.

Paula and Lisa say they hope to create a 15-member committee for A Safer La Crosse. The committee will present those ideas to the City of La Crosse to work to come up with a solution to the problem.

If you’d like to join the human chain, or voice your ideas on how to solve the problem, you can meet Paula and Lisa at Riverside park near the Visitor Center at noon on Sunday. They hope thousands of people attend the event.