Janelle Irwin Taylor
Former state Sen. Lauren Book will participate in her 10th walk across Florida next month, raising awareness and supporting childhood sexual abuse survivors and for sexual and child abuse prevention.
This year, her annual “Walk in My Shoes” trek from Key West to Tallahassee will take on a uniquely Taylor Swift vibe, with volunteers from her nonprofit Lauren’s Kids, child advocacy centers and sexual assault treatment programs all pitching in to make friendship bracelets letting survivors know that someone is rooting for them.
The bracelets are meant to channel Swiftie energy with Swift-inspired phrases such as “Speak Now,” “Fearless,” “In My Healing Era” and “For the Hope of it All,” as well as more generic positive messages like “hope,” “courage” and “survivor.”
The bracelets are inspired by trading friendship bracelets popularized at Taylor Swift shows. Book, a mom of two, attended the Eras Tour — twice — in Miami.
The “Walk in My Shoes” expedition coincides each year with National Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which are in April.
The walk begins April 2 at the Southernmost Point in Key West, before heading north to Miami, Fort Lauderdale Boca Raton and Coral Springs, before heading over to Florida’s west coast for stops in Naples, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Bradenton, Pasco County, and Tampa.
The walk then heads back east again with stops in Lakeland, Cocoa Beach, Daytona Beach and St. Augustine.
In the final stretch, she’ll lead volunteers and supporters back west again to Orlando, Ocala, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Niceville, Pensacola, Panama City, Marianna and, finally, Tallahassee. The walk concludes at the state capitol on April 30.
Above all else, the walk seeks to raise awareness for the staggering prevalence of childhood sexual abuse. The problem is so profound that one in three girls and one in five boys will be forced to become survivors before graduating high school.
But while 42 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse live in the U.S. today, the problem is preventable through education and awareness.
“This is why we walk,” the website for the event proudly proclaims.
Book’s nonprofit, Lauren’s Kids, was founded in 2007. In addition to the annual trek, it also creates and provides school curriculum and family resources, and creates award-winning awareness campaigns. Book and supporters through the nonprofit also participate in speaking engagements across the U.S. and the world. The foundation’s Safer, Smarter Schools K-12 curriculum is currently used in classrooms in 40 states to teach kids personal safety.
On this year’s walk, Book and those walking with her, will clock 20+ miles every single day.
For Book, it’s personal.
She suffered abuse for years from her childhood nanny, and chronicled the experience in a heart-wrenching book meant to help others find the strength to speak up, called “It’s OK to Tell.” More recently, Book also authored “Lauren’s Kingdom,” a children’s picture book similarly encouraging kids to speak out when something is not right.
