Walk in My Shoes campaign starts today

Valerie Deville, Director of Adult Therapy for the Betty Griffin House, reported to Historic City News that Lauren Book-Lim, who endured childhood sexual abuse for six years at the hands of her nanny, will walk throughout Florida in April as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Lauren’s walk will begin today in Aventura at the home where her abuse occurred.

Lauren’s ‘Walk in My Shoes’ campaign will bring awareness to the issue of sexual abuse and encourage victims to speak out about their experiences. According to the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence, one in four women and one in six men will be the victim of sexual violence in their lifetime.

Floridians are invited to join the walk and the dialogue on any of the 10 legs of her journey, which will cover nearly 500 miles. The walk will end in Tallahassee on April 20, with a welcoming rally at the state Capitol. Along the way Lauren will visit with local rape crisis centers ans sexual assault program centers in Florida’s major Cities.

Join Lauren and the Betty Griffin House as she walks through St. Augustine, FL on Saturday April 17 starting at 9am by the County Courthouse and ending at Flagler College.

“I want people of all ages to understand it is OK to tell someone about abuses that have happened to them,” said Book-Lim, Lauren’s Kids founder and survivor of childhood sexual abuse. “I want people to see me walking, dealing with my ghosts and think, ‘I can face this.’”

As a private, nonprofit agency, Betty Griffin House provides emergency shelter to abused women, men, their minor children. Other support services available to shelter residents and non residents include a 24-hour crisis hotline, individual and group counseling, forensic / medical rape exams, and legal assistance. Confidential individual and group counseling are available in all parts of St. Johns County including, Hastings, Ponte Vedra Beach, St. Johns, St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach. For more information or to make a donation, find us on Facebook or visit their website at www.bettygriffinhouse.org

If you or someone you know is being abused, please call our hotline at (904) 824-1555.

Photo credit: © 2010 Historic City News contributed photograph from Lauren’s Kids