Lauren's Kids returns

Lauren’s Kids brought its “Walk in My Shoes” campaign to Gainesville on Sunday as part of an 11th annual, 1,500-mile trek across Florida led by founder Lauren Book. (wcjb.com) The Gainesville stop was scheduled for Sunday, April 19, 2026, starting at Child Advocacy Centers Inc. on East University Avenue. Event listings said participants could choose a 5-mile walk to Cultural Plaza or a 9-mile route to the Gainesville Woman’s Club. (runsignup.com) Lauren’s Kids says the 2026 walk runs from Key West to Tallahassee and covers about 1,500 miles during April, which is both National Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The organization says walkers can join for a block, a mile, or longer at stops around the state. (laurenskidswalk.org) The group frames the walk as a public-awareness campaign tied to abuse prevention and survivor support. Lauren’s Kids says its broader work includes in-school curricula, public-awareness campaigns, and speaking engagements focused on child sexual abuse prevention. (laurenskids.org) Book, a former Florida state senator and the foundation’s founder and chief executive, has led the event for 11 years. Lauren’s Kids says this year’s route began in Key West and is set to end in Tallahassee on May 1 with a family and community safety fair downtown. (floridapolitics.com) (laurenskidswalk.org) Other April stops this year included Orlando, St. Augustine, and cities along the Gulf Coast and Panhandle, according to local coverage and the organization’s schedule. In Orlando, local television stations reported that participants were asked to walk at least 25 miles during that leg of the event. (wesh.com) (laurenskidswalk.org) (wdbo.com) Sunday’s Gainesville walk fit that statewide pattern: a local gathering tied to a longer April route, with Book at the front and prevention messaging at the center. The Florida trek is scheduled to finish in Tallahassee after crossing the state from the Keys. (wcjb.com) (laurenskidswalk.org)