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.<\/p>\n
Lauren\u2019s Kids annual \u201cWalk in My Shoes\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
Lauren\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Florida Politics:<\/p>\n
The walk brings together advocates and survivors from Florida\u2019s child advocacy centers and sexual assault treatment programs, as well as schools and educators who teach Lauren\u2019s Kids\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
New this year is the Voices Project, an oral storytelling initiative designed to amplify and preserve the voices of survivors in their own words.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a recording studio with us this year for people to share their story, share their truth, share their journey through their abuse,\u201d said Book.<\/p>\n
Those who wish to participate in person can sign up at LaurensKidsWalk.org<\/a>. Survivors everywhere are also being invited to submit audio recordings of up to five minutes by emailing voices@laurenskids.org<\/a>. Recordings will become part of a growing digital archive focused on awareness, education, and survivor empowerment.<\/p>\n Stops on the 2026 Walk include:<\/p>\n April 4 \u2013 Fort Lauderdale<\/p>\n April 6 \u2013 Boca Raton<\/p>\n April 7 \u2013 Naples<\/p>\n April 8 \u2013 Sarasota & Bradenton<\/p>\n April 9 \u2013 Tampa<\/p>\n April 10 \u2013 Pasco<\/p>\n April 11 \u2013 Lakeland<\/p>\n April 12 \u2013 Orlando<\/p>\n April 14 \u2013 Space Coast<\/p>\n April 15 \u2013 The Villages<\/p>\n April 16 \u2013 Ocala<\/p>\n April 17 \u2013 St. Augustine<\/p>\n April 18 \u2013 Jacksonville<\/p>\n April 19 \u2013 Gainesville<\/p>\n April 22 \u2013 Pensacola<\/p>\n April 23 \u2013 Milton<\/p>\n April 24 \u2013 Niceville<\/p>\n April 25 \u2013 Panama City<\/p>\n April 28 \u2013 Lake City<\/p>\n April 29 \u2013 Marianna<\/p>\n May 1 \u2013 Tallahassee: Final Miles & Family Fun Safety Block Party<\/p>\n