Book's 11th Walk in My Shoes Battles Child Abuse Across Florida

Opinion | TC Sentinel Editorial Board

Each April, a 1,500-mile procession moves across Florida with a purpose that no resident — here on the Treasure Coast or anywhere else in the state — should be able to ignore. For the 11th consecutive year, Lauren Book, former state senator and founder of the nonprofit Lauren's Kids, is leading her "Walk in My Shoes" journey from Key West to the steps of the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, arriving May 1.

The numbers that frame this walk are not abstractions. One in three girls and one in five boys will experience sexual abuse before age 18, according to the organization. There are more than 42 million survivors of child sexual abuse in the United States. Every day, new cases are reported in Florida — including, without question, in Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties, where the Martin County School District, St. Lucie Public Schools, and the Indian River County School District together serve tens of thousands of children who are statistically not immune to this crisis.

Book, a survivor herself, has built Lauren's Kids around the conviction — backed by her organization's own research — that 95 percent of child sexual abuse is preventable through education and awareness. Her foundation's Safer, Smarter Kids and Safer, Smarter Teens curricula are taught in schools across Florida. Whether those programs are currently embedded in Treasure Coast classrooms is a question parents, school board members, and superintendents in all three counties should be prepared to answer publicly.

New this year is The Voices Project, a survivor oral history initiative launching alongside the walk. A mobile recording unit will travel the route, collecting anonymous testimonials. Survivors unable to join in person may submit audio recordings of up to five minutes via email, with contributions becoming part of a permanent digital archive focused on awareness and empowerment. Silence is the abuser's greatest ally, and this meaningful expansion of a movement recognizes that truth.

The walk's published route does not include a named Treasure Coast stop — a gap this community should consider addressing in future years by inviting the walk through Stuart, Fort Pierce, or Vero Beach. The absence from the itinerary does not excuse local institutions from the conversation.

We urge Treasure Coast school boards and superintendents to disclose publicly whether Lauren's Kids' prevention curricula are in use in their districts — and, if not, why not. We urge local law enforcement agencies and state attorneys' offices in the 19th Judicial Circuit to use this month to publicize available resources for survivors. And we urge any Treasure Coast resident who is a survivor and wishes to be heard to know that The Voices Project exists for them, regardless of geography.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.