Lauren Book is walking across Florida in April to advocate for child abuse prevention

Public participation in the walk is welcome, with prior registration. Image via Lauren's Kids.

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month — and former Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book is hitting the road for a powerful cause.

With her nonprofit, Lauren’s Kids, Book is embarking on her 10th 1,500-mile walk across Florida to raise awareness about child sexual abuse, stand with survivors and give communities the tools they need to protect kids.

The Walk in My Shoes journey is personal. Book is a survivor herself. What began as one woman turning pain into purpose has grown into a statewide movement to protect children and heal hearts. Over the next month, Book will stop in communities across the state to walk alongside fellow survivors, advocates and local leaders, calling attention to a crisis that affects 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys before they turn 18.

Through Lauren’s Kids, Book has made it her life’s mission to end child sexual abuse. The nonprofit’s award-winning prevention curriculum programs, Safer, Smarter Kids and Safer, Smarter Teens, teach age-appropriate safety skills in schools across Florida and beyond — because 95% of child sexual abuse is preventable with education and awareness.

Book’s leadership has changed laws, empowered survivors, and helped keep kids safe. Now, the Walk in My Shoes is rallying Floridians to do their part.

There are over 42 million survivors of child sexual abuse in the U.S. — and every day, new cases are reported in Florida. The walk is a chance to say: no more. No more silence. No more shame. No more abuse.

Book will kick off her statewide walk today from the Southernmost Point in Key West, trekking 20 miles north on the Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway. Follow along via Livestream, view photos, and register for a walk near you at LaurensKidsWalk.org.