TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – Dozens of people are spending the month walking the state to raise awareness for child abuse and sexual assault.
Lauren’s Kids annual “Walk in My Shoes” kicked off March 31 in Key West. The 11th annual 1,500-mile trek will stop in cities across the state during April in honor of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Lauren’s Kids Founder and CEO Lauren Book will lead the month-long journey from the Southernmost Point of the United States to Tallahassee, walking up to 25 miles each day. The walk will conclude May 1, steps from the Florida Capitol.
Florida Politics:
The walk brings together advocates and survivors from Florida’s child advocacy centers and sexual assault treatment programs, as well as schools and educators who teach Lauren’s Kids’ Safer, Smarter Kids abuse prevention curriculum program, law enforcement, sex crimes prosecutors, community and elected leaders and families to raise awareness and promote prevention of child sexual abuse.
New this year is the Voices Project, an oral storytelling initiative designed to amplify and preserve the voices of survivors in their own words.
“We have a recording studio with us this year for people to share their story, share their truth, share their journey through their abuse,” said Book.
Those who wish to participate in person can sign up at LaurensKidsWalk.org. Survivors everywhere are also being invited to submit audio recordings of up to five minutes by emailing voices@laurenskids.org. Recordings will become part of a growing digital archive focused on awareness, education, and survivor empowerment.
Stops on the 2026 Walk include:
April 4 – Fort Lauderdale
April 6 – Boca Raton
April 7 – Naples
April 8 – Sarasota & Bradenton
April 9 – Tampa
April 10 – Pasco
April 11 – Lakeland
April 12 – Orlando
April 14 – Space Coast
April 15 – The Villages
April 16 – Ocala
April 17 – St. Augustine
April 18 – Jacksonville
April 19 – Gainesville
April 22 – Pensacola
April 23 – Milton
April 24 – Niceville
April 25 – Panama City
April 28 – Lake City
April 29 – Marianna
May 1 – Tallahassee: Final Miles & Family Fun Safety Block Party
Community members can register to walk and to participate in the Voices Project at LaurensKidsWalk.org.
Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.