Lauren Book’s ‘Walk in My Shoes’ trek is back for 2024

Lauren’s Walk an event from Sen. Lauren Book and Lauren’s Kids. Image via Lauren’s Kids.

Sen. Lauren Book, the Plantation Democrat who serves as Senate Democratic Leader, will again host her charity’s annual trek from South Florida to the Panhandle this year to raise awareness for child sexual abuse.

Lauren’s Kids, the charity Book founded and runs to help kids who have been victims of sexual abuse, has hosted the annual Walk in My Shoes trek across Florida since 2010.

This year’s walk will begin April 3 at the Southernmost Point of the U.S. in Key West and end April 27 in Panama City. The trek will include more than 20 stops along the way, in partnership with Florida’s sexual Assault treatment centers, children’s advocacy centers, child protection units, Bikers Against Child Abuse, local schools and others.

It’s scheduled to coincide with National Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention month.

This year’s event will cover 1,500 miles, which will include opportunities to raise awareness, educate communities and empower survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The event originally began as a 500-mile walk to the Florida Capitol. It grew over the next eight years to include thousands of participants and new routes to honor the 42 million survivors in the U.S.

“We’re so excited to bring the Walk in My Shoes back to Florida’s highways and byways — walking 1,500 miles across the state to shine a light, shatter the stigma, and educate communities to keep kids safe,” Book said.

“One in three girls and one in five boys will suffer sexual abuse before graduating high school — and one in five children who touch a digital device will be sexually solicited online. The statistics are staggering, but the solution is clear: 95% of child sexual abuse IS preventable with education and awareness. That’s why we walk.”

Childhood sexual abuse affects every community, regardless of income levels or affluence. Book herself is a survivor, assaulted by her childhood nanny despite being the daughter of one of the state’s most powerful lobbyists.

Yet the crime is one of the most underreported, according to Lauren’s Kids, and local advocacy centers often have waiting lists for survivors seeking services.

The walk will also include stops at classrooms, where Book — a former educator — will teach lessons from her foundation’s Emmy Award-winning Safer, Smarter Kids and Safer, Smarter Teens personal safety and abuse prevention programs that are used nationwide to educate kids.