Walking through South Florida, Rain or Shine!

2015 Walk in My Shoes with Lauren Book

This week the Walk in My Shoes team covered a lot of ground! We continued through Broward County, then headed up through Palm Beach County, Martin County, St. Lucie, Indian River and Lee Counties.

We were joined on the Miramar to Plantation stretch by awesome female firefighters. These fantastic women kept the energy high!

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After a beautiful walk by the water in Jupiter, we were honored to have State Attorney Dave Aronberg (and “Cookie”) join us in Palm Beach before a Lauren’s Kingdom reading and signing at Bloomingdale’s.

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What started as a sunny day turned into a torrential downpour, but (aside from a short break due to lightning) we kept walking! In rain or shine we will continue to walk for the 42 million survivors of child sexual abuse and to protect childhood.

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This week we had our youngest “walker” to date! Although she couldn’t technically walk, we had a precious four-month-old join us on the road!

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Every week brings new people into our lives who are examples of incredible thriving survivors. This week, a young lady came to walk with us in Ft. Pierce and brought along her mom and boyfriend. After joining us for a 10-mile morning walk, she went to give her deposition – working to bring her abuser to justice.

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On Saturday, the Walk in My Shoes team returned to Broward County for a walk from the PACE Center for Girls to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. We arrived with just enough time to shower and change before it was show time! The team hit the red carpet of the 7th Annual Reid & Fiorentino Call of the Game Dinner, benefitting Lauren’s Kids and the Dade Schools Athletic Association. After a long day of walking, sometimes heels are just not an option!

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This year, Romero Britto, the artist behind the Lauren’s Kids license plate, received the Ted Arison Community Service Award. Other honorees included Dan Marino and a local Miami basketball coach fighting through ALS.

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This was a remarkable event with wonderful supporters. At the event Ted Ballard, Executive Director of Broadcasting for the Miami HEAT, courageously shared why he never takes off his Lauren’s Kids wristband – he is one of the 42 million survivors of child sexual abuse. He took the stage along with his family and shared something that he had almost shared so many times over the years, but he found his voice in front of 850 people on Saturday night. Ted Ballard displayed true courage by shining a light in the dark place of child sexual abuse.

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This event also premiered a very special video featuring the young advocates from the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center. We can’t wait to travel up to Panama City to join them on April 18th and 19th! Please enjoy the video below highlighting the incredible children of the Gulf Coast CAC and all they are doing to share with others that it is always OK to tell.