Lauren Book Kicks Off 11th Annual Walk in My Shoes 2026

Lauren Book laces up her walking shoes again Tuesday, kicking off the 11th annual “Walk in My Shoes” trek that will carry her and a growing coalition of advocates roughly 1,500 miles from Key West to the steps of the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee.

The monthlong journey, organized by Lauren’s Kids, runs through the entirety of April, aligning with both National Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Book, the nonprofit’s founder and CEO and a former state senator, will walk as many as 25 miles a day while stopping in communities across Florida to spotlight child sexual abuse prevention efforts and amplify survivors’ voices.

This year’s walk carries added weight with the launch of the Voices Project, a new oral storytelling initiative that marks a significant expansion of the walk’s mission. A mobile recording unit will travel the route throughout April, giving survivors the opportunity to share their stories anonymously and in their own words. Those who cannot join the walk in person can submit audio recordings of up to five minutes online.

“For 11 years, we have walked across Florida to shine a light on child sexual abuse and to remind survivors they are not alone,” Book said. “This year, we are expanding that mission by creating space for survivors to share their stories in their own voices.”

The coalition that gathers around this annual walk reads like a cross-section of Florida’s child protection system. Child advocacy centers, sexual assault treatment providers, educators, law enforcement, prosecutors, elected officials and families all participate at various stops along the route. That breadth matters. Child sexual abuse thrives in silence and in gaps between institutions. An initiative that pulls together this many sectors, from law enforcement to educators to survivors themselves, applies pressure at multiple points simultaneously.

The walk concludes May 1 at the Capitol, a deliberate choice that puts survivors’ stories on the doorstep of the people who write Florida’s laws. Anyone interested in joining a segment of the route or contributing to the Voices Project can find the full schedule of stops at LaurensKidsWalk.org. Audio submissions for the Voices Project can be sent to [email protected].

Meanwhile, Tallahassee is also preparing for a different kind of high-profile gathering. Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare’s Golden Gala returns April 23 at the Civic Center, this year featuring Grammy-nominated artist Teddy Swims as the headline performer for a private concert and dinner.

Swims earned a Best New Artist nomination at the 2025 Grammy Awards on the strength of his debut album “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1).” His single “Lose Control” logged more than 4 billion streams and holds the record for the longest-charting Hot 100 hit in history. His other breakout track, “The Door,” added to a debut run that made him one of the more talked-about new voices in popular music.

The black-tie event benefits expanded behavioral health services in the Big Bend region, giving the evening a purpose that aligns with Swims’ catalog. His music draws heavily from themes of emotional struggle and recovery, subjects that resonate directly with the work TMH is trying to fund.

Swims is making the Tallahassee appearance amid a sold-out world tour, making the April 23 date a notable pull for a mid-sized capital city.

Two events, two different stages, but both are worth watching this April. The Walk in My Shoes trek is a measurable act of advocacy, one that forces public officials to reckon, stop after stop, with the scale of child sexual abuse in Florida and the real human beings navigating survival. The Voices Project adds a new dimension by creating a permanent archive of those experiences. The Golden Gala directs private dollars toward a mental health infrastructure that the state has chronically underfunded.

Spring in Florida carries a lot of noise, especially in an election cycle. These are worth cutting through it for.