The 10th annual 'Walk in My Shoes' event, led by State Sen. Lauren Book and her nonprofit Lauren's Kids , made its way through Naples as part of a 1,500-mile journey from Key West to Tallahassee Wednesday. Each stop aims to raise awareness and let survivors of child sexual abuse know they’re not alone.
Book, a survivor herself, founded the nonprofit after years of abuse as a child.
"So I myself am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse from the time that I was about 10 years old until I was 16," Book said. "We needed to turn a negative into a positive. We needed to make it different. We needed to show other survivors that you can become a thriver. You can overcome the things that happened to you."
Local groups like Project HELP , the Collier County Child Advocacy Center , the Southwest Florida Child Advocacy Center , and the Abuse Counseling and Treatment Center joined the walk in solidarity.
"We know that one in three girls and one in five boys will become the victim of child sexual abuse before their 18th birthday," Book said.
She says that 95% of abuse is preventable through education and awareness.
Book says survivors at any stage of their healing journey can seek help.
"Whether your abuse happened 50 years ago or 10 minutes ago, you can receive free services in the state of Florida at any point in time," she said.
Apart from walking, Lauren's Kids is supporting several bills in the 2025 Legislative Session, including tougher penalties for abusers, protections for survivors, and laws targeting cybersexual harassment and sex trafficking.
For walkers like Silvia Quintana-Diaz, participating was personal.
"I think those are conversations that we have to have because you never know. We could prevent an issue in the future. And I think we owe it to the next generation and to ourselves as well," she said.
The walk will end April 30 with a "Rally in Tally" at the Historic Capitol in Tallahassee.
To join or support the walk, visit LaurensKids.org .