We kicked off the sixth annual Walk in My Shoes 1,500-mile journey across the State of Florida at the Southernmost Point of the United States! The sun rose on a beautiful Saturday morning with more than 100 Florida Keys educators, parents, children and community members dedicated to raising awareness and preventing child sexual abuse.
It was not an easy task to walk 30 miles on Day 1 in above 80-degree weather! But when you know there are more than 42 million people in the world who have been sexually abused, it is easy to remember #WhyIWalk.
We have such a dedicated team of amazing people throughout the state who continue to push through the challenge in order to prevent child sexual abuse and help survivors heal. We love you!
We got to see old friends….
Daliana Goins, local Walk in My Shoes organizer and school counselor who teaches Safer, Smarter Kids to more than 600 students throughout the Florida Keys.
Here are our good friends, Chris and Chuck!
….And new friends!
We were so excited to meet our “M&Ms” (Mallory & Marie) pictured above and our “C&Cs” (Cora & Claire) on the first day of the 2015 Walk In My Shoes journey!
These wonderful young 5- and 6-year-old girls rocked #WhyIWalk: Awareness T-shirts! Lauren was able to talk to them about what it means to raise awareness and to be an advocate. By the end of the day, they were proclaiming, “I am an advocate!” They also had the opportunity to learn more about this year’s theme – “Lace Up, Speak Up.”
The Hope Fest in Key West on Sunday was amazing! There was a bounce house, games, food, music and fun for the whole family. We loved sharing Safer, Smarter Kids lessons and reading Lauren’s Kingdom aloud.
Looking forward to an exciting week ahead! Register to walk in your area here.
P.S. – Check out the awesome Safer, Smarter Kids car!
