'Walk in My Shoes' stops in Panama City to raise awareness on child sexual abuse
Founder Lauren Book says every step counts in the fight to prevent child sexual abuse.
'Every day, we see the survivors in the community. They come in here and they come in, year out. And so we've watched them grow many times to become thriving survivors. And that's a really special thing,' Lauren's Kids Foundation Founder & CEO Lauren Book said.
Participants began at the Gulf Coast Children's Advocacy Center. They picked up their event t-shirts and put on friendship bracelets as they geared up for the walk.
Then they followed event cars as they walked in a two-mile loop from the children's advocacy center. For those who wanted to walk more, they could walk an additional 5 miles up Highway 77.
Lauren's Kids Foundation offered Uber codes for anyone doing the long walk so they can get back to their vehicles. While they walk, the goal is to show the community that it's okay to tell and it's okay to heal.
Free fun for kids at the 28th annual 'Kidfest'
'It is really important for people to see and know that if something like this does happen to you, it is not a life sentence, that with healing and therapy and the support of your community and your family and your friends, this is a small part of who and what you are. It is not going to derail your entire life. Look, as a survivor, I know the pain. I know the difficulty that comes with this type of crime, but it is overcomeable,' Book said.
Advocates emphasize the importance of believing and listening when someone tells you they have experienced sexual abuse.
'The average age of a disclosure is 42 years. So someone will wait 40 years if they ever tell. So we are very lucky that we're not only the Gulf Coast Children's Advocacy Center, we are also the Gulf Coast Sexual Assault Program. So we can work with adults who never told, and we see that a lot. They came forward that it happened to them when they were three years old. They still deserve to have a place for hope and healing. And we provide that to them at no cost,' the Gulf Coast Children's Advocacy Center Trauma Treatment Team Program Coordinator, Tasha Jackson, said.
Statistics show that 90% of child sexual abuse is preventable through awareness.
The Gulf Coast Children's Advocacy Center works to educate children through community outreach.
'We get into the schools, we teach children about the warning signs of abuse and how to tell, and we give them an opportunity to share anything that they've experienced. So that's the most important thing, is making sure that kids have the words to tell and know how to tell and have the opportunity,' Jackson said.
Lauren's Kids Foundation will stop in Marianna for another walk on Monday. Their final walk will be in Tallahassee on Wednesday.
To get involved, click here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Texas says measles outbreak is over
The measles outbreak centered in West Texas – one of the largest and deadliest in centuries – has ended, state health officials announced on Monday. No new cases have been reported in the counties that had previously shown evidence of ongoing transmission in more than 42 days, according to the announcement. An outbreak is considered to be over after this amount of time because it suggests that there two incubation periods have passed – the time it would take to get sick after an exposure – without any transmission. Texas has confirmed at least 762 cases of measles associated with the outbreak since late January, including nearly 100 hospitalizations. More than two-thirds of the cases were in children, and two school-aged children from Texas died – the first deaths from measles in the United States since 2015. 'I want to highlight the tireless work of the public health professionals across the state who contributed to the containment of one of the most contagious viruses. We arrived at this point through a comprehensive outbreak response that included testing, vaccination, disease monitoring and educating the public about measles through awareness campaigns,' Dr. Jennifer Shuford, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement. 'I also want to recognize the many health care professionals who identified and treated cases of a virus that most providers had never seen in person before this outbreak.' Cases linked to the outbreak in Texas have also been reported in New Mexico – where one person died – as well as Oklahoma and possibly Kansas. New Mexico reported three new cases on Thursday, bringing the state's total up to 100 cases this year, but it was not immediately clear if these cases were linked to the broader outbreak. Overall, the US has reported more than 1,350 measles cases this year – more than there have been in more than three decades – a record number since measles was declared eliminated in the country in 2000. Outbreak cases in Texas account for more than half of the cases nationwide. Most outbreak-related cases in Texas were in and around Gaines County, where the measles vaccination rate among kindergartners is one of the lowest in the state. In Texas and nationwide, the vast majority of measles cases have been in people who are unvaccinated; only about 8% of cases this year have been in people who were known to have at least one dose of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Texas health officials say that 'the end of this outbreak does not mean the threat of measles is over.' 'Since there are ongoing outbreaks of measles in North America and around the world, it is likely that there will be additional cases of measles this year in Texas,' according to an announcement sent on Monday. 'Health care providers should continue to be vigilant and test for measles if their patient has symptoms compatible with the virus.' At least 41 states have reported measles cases this year, and vaccination coverage among kindergartners dipped again last school year. For the 2024-25 school year, a record share of incoming kindergartners had an exemption for a required vaccine, most often for personal or religious reasons, CDC data shows.
CNN
3 hours ago
- CNN
Texas says measles outbreak is over
The measles outbreak centered in West Texas – one of the largest and deadliest in centuries – has ended, state health officials announced on Monday. No new cases have been reported in the counties that had previously shown evidence of ongoing transmission in more than 42 days, according to the announcement. An outbreak is considered to be over after this amount of time because it suggests that there two incubation periods have passed – the time it would take to get sick after an exposure – without any transmission. Texas has confirmed at least 762 cases of measles associated with the outbreak since late January, including nearly 100 hospitalizations. More than two-thirds of the cases were in children, and two school-aged children from Texas died – the first deaths from measles in the United States since 2015. 'I want to highlight the tireless work of the public health professionals across the state who contributed to the containment of one of the most contagious viruses. We arrived at this point through a comprehensive outbreak response that included testing, vaccination, disease monitoring and educating the public about measles through awareness campaigns,' Dr. Jennifer Shuford, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement. 'I also want to recognize the many health care professionals who identified and treated cases of a virus that most providers had never seen in person before this outbreak.' Cases linked to the outbreak in Texas have also been reported in New Mexico – where one person died – as well as Oklahoma and possibly Kansas. New Mexico reported three new cases on Thursday, bringing the state's total up to 100 cases this year, but it was not immediately clear if these cases were linked to the broader outbreak. Overall, the US has reported more than 1,350 measles cases this year – more than there have been in more than three decades – a record number since measles was declared eliminated in the country in 2000. Outbreak cases in Texas account for more than half of the cases nationwide. Most outbreak-related cases in Texas were in and around Gaines County, where the measles vaccination rate among kindergartners is one of the lowest in the state. In Texas and nationwide, the vast majority of measles cases have been in people who are unvaccinated; only about 8% of cases this year have been in people who were known to have at least one dose of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Texas health officials say that 'the end of this outbreak does not mean the threat of measles is over.' 'Since there are ongoing outbreaks of measles in North America and around the world, it is likely that there will be additional cases of measles this year in Texas,' according to an announcement sent on Monday. 'Health care providers should continue to be vigilant and test for measles if their patient has symptoms compatible with the virus.' At least 41 states have reported measles cases this year, and vaccination coverage among kindergartners dipped again last school year. For the 2024-25 school year, a record share of incoming kindergartners had an exemption for a required vaccine, most often for personal or religious reasons, CDC data shows.
CNN
3 hours ago
- CNN
Texas says measles outbreak is over
The measles outbreak centered in West Texas – one of the largest and deadliest in centuries – has ended, state health officials announced on Monday. No new cases have been reported in the counties that had previously shown evidence of ongoing transmission in more than 42 days, according to the announcement. An outbreak is considered to be over after this amount of time because it suggests that there two incubation periods have passed – the time it would take to get sick after an exposure – without any transmission. Texas has confirmed at least 762 cases of measles associated with the outbreak since late January, including nearly 100 hospitalizations. More than two-thirds of the cases were in children, and two school-aged children from Texas died – the first deaths from measles in the United States since 2015. 'I want to highlight the tireless work of the public health professionals across the state who contributed to the containment of one of the most contagious viruses. We arrived at this point through a comprehensive outbreak response that included testing, vaccination, disease monitoring and educating the public about measles through awareness campaigns,' Dr. Jennifer Shuford, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement. 'I also want to recognize the many health care professionals who identified and treated cases of a virus that most providers had never seen in person before this outbreak.' Cases linked to the outbreak in Texas have also been reported in New Mexico – where one person died – as well as Oklahoma and possibly Kansas. New Mexico reported three new cases on Thursday, bringing the state's total up to 100 cases this year, but it was not immediately clear if these cases were linked to the broader outbreak. Overall, the US has reported more than 1,350 measles cases this year – more than there have been in more than three decades – a record number since measles was declared eliminated in the country in 2000. Outbreak cases in Texas account for more than half of the cases nationwide. Most outbreak-related cases in Texas were in and around Gaines County, where the measles vaccination rate among kindergartners is one of the lowest in the state. In Texas and nationwide, the vast majority of measles cases have been in people who are unvaccinated; only about 8% of cases this year have been in people who were known to have at least one dose of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Texas health officials say that 'the end of this outbreak does not mean the threat of measles is over.' 'Since there are ongoing outbreaks of measles in North America and around the world, it is likely that there will be additional cases of measles this year in Texas,' according to an announcement sent on Monday. 'Health care providers should continue to be vigilant and test for measles if their patient has symptoms compatible with the virus.' At least 41 states have reported measles cases this year, and vaccination coverage among kindergartners dipped again last school year. For the 2024-25 school year, a record share of incoming kindergartners had an exemption for a required vaccine, most often for personal or religious reasons, CDC data shows.
