Walk in My Shoes passes through Ocala
The annual Lauren’s Kids event brings ‘awareness, education, hope and healing to communities across the state.’
Lauren Book, the founder and CEO of Lauren’s Kids Foundation and former Florida State Senator, talks to people during the Lauren’s Kids annual Walk in my Shoes walk in Ocala, Fla. on Thursday, April 16, 2026. In honor of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Lauren’s Kids has embarked on its 11th annual Walk in My Shoes 1,500-mile trek across Florida and also has launched a new survivor oral history storytelling initiative, The Voices Project. The walk in Ocala was attended by about a dozen people and started at the Publix Supermarket at Grand Oaks Town Center at 2575 SW 42nd St. The walk started on March 31 in Key West and will end May 1 near the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2026.
On April 16, Lauren’s Kids made its way through Ocala as the 15th stop in its 11th annual Walk in My Shoes.
The event, in honor of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month, was led by former Florida State Senator, founder and CEO of Lauren’s Kids and child sexual abuse survivor, Lauren Book. Book was joined by representatives from Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection, the Marion County Sexual Assault Center Inc. (MCSA), Haven and “inspirational supporters,” according to an event recap press release.
“The statewide 1,500-mile trek brought participants from all over in the fight to prevent child sexual abuse and to help survivors heal,” the release noted.
This year’s walk started on March 31 in Key West and will end May 1 near the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee. The walk in Ocala started at the Publix Supermarket at Grand Oaks Town Center, where attendees could walk the 4-mile route to MCSA. Thereafter, walkers could stop or continue the final 4-mile route to Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection.
In addition, sexual abuse survivors had the opportunity to participate in The Voices Project — a storytelling initiative designed to amplify and preserve survivors’ voices in their own words. Throughout April, a mobile recording unit will continue to travel with the walk to capture anonymous audio recordings from survivors before daily walks. Recordings will become part of a growing digital archive focused on awareness, education and survivor empowerment, the news release stated. The Voices Project submissions also may be made by going to [email protected]
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