By Megan Kelley

Review Writer

Amy Silvester, a long time Lake Orion resident, has spent years perfecting her children’s book series, The Tender Turtle. The series deals with issues that many children face everyday, differences.

“It’s a good way to show, ‘hey, we’re all the same’,” Amy said. “We all have our thing, it’s about being inclusive.”

For this reason, Amy has partnered up with The Daisy Project of Michigan to use her series re-launch to help raise money for special needs children and families throughout the state.

This two-day event starts out on Oct. 19, with a Love n’ Light “event before the event” from 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. at The Event Place located at 115 N. Broadway St. in downtown Lake Orion.

This charity event requires a donation of $40 per person or $75 per couple. It will also include a D.J., open bar, silent auction, a spread from Lockhart’s BBQ and homemade hors d’oeuvres made by Amy herself.

The Tender Turtle 5K run/walk will take place on Oct. 20; at 9 a.m. (last minute registration will begin at 8 a.m.) starting at The Event Place.

Children ages 5 and under cost $5 to register, where students ages 6-18 are $15, and adults (19 and up) are $25. There will also be a special family rate for $30. All proceeds will go to The Daisy Project.

With Halloween fast approaching, Amy has worked to make this 5K Halloween themed for a perfect opportunity for kids to show off their Halloween costumes a little early.

The event will start with the 5K, which will take runners/walkers through Lake Orion and back to The Event Place where there will be activities for the whole family, such as games, a pumpkin patch, a D.J., Cha-Cha from Rainforest Café, Da the clown and a pop-up store that will be selling The Tender Turtle books.

There will also be breakfast pizza donated by Chicago Bros, which will be sold throughout the morning, and Nuts About Chocolate will be hosting a sweets station.

This is the first year for The Tender Turtle 5K and Amy has hopes to continue this run/walk for years to come.

She puts emphasis on her donors, many local businesses, which have donated items to the silent auction, donated their time, their venue and food for this event.

“The community has been so helpful,” she said, adding that this would not have been possible without all of the generous donations.

“I want all the kids from Lake Orion and Oxford to come out and have fun… Its a great way for kids to help kids, for families to help families,” she said.

Register online at www.app.regwiz.io/register/tenderturtle/470