The latest fundraiser to benefit a Rushville Police officer who is battling cancer will be held on Saturday, March 11 from 2 to 7 p.m. at The Virginia, 110 Ellen Scripps Drive in Rushville.

The March 11 benefit will support Nathan Rauch, the Rushville Police Department K-9 Officer. It will feature a catered meal by Mission BBQ, silent and live auction items, gun and 50/50 raffles, and sales of “Nathan Strong” gear. The $20 admission charge includes a full meal of a sandwich, sides, dessert and drink. All proceeds will help to support Nathan and his family.

Rauch is receiving frequent, intense outpatient treatment at the University of Missouri Ellis Fischel Cancer Center for T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. The 29-year-old Nathan and his wife Jacey reside in Rushville, and Nathan is a member of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Spoon River Valley Lodge 427, which is co-sponsoring the March 11 event.

A previous Chili Cook-Off fundraiser for Officer Rauch was held on January 29 in Rushville.

“The support shown for Nathan at the January 29 event was extremely heartwarming,” said Spoon River Valley Lodge 427 President Donald “Ike” Hackett. “Nathan’s tough battle is far from over, so we ask that folks turn out once more to support this hero and his family on March 11.”

The Fraternal Order of Police, founded in 1915, is the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. With a proud tradition of officers representing officers, the FOP is the most respected and most recognized police organization in the country. The Illinois FOP, chartered in 1963, is the second largest State Lodge, proudly representing more than 34,000 active duty and retired police officers - more than 10 percent of all FOP members nationwide. Visit www.ilfop.org for more information.