A benefit for 12-year-old Drake McKane will be held at the Mayville Legion Feb. 24. Submitted photo

MAYVILLE — The stage is set for Chautauqua County to rally around one of its own as a single community later this month.

A benefit is being planned for 12-year-old Drake McKane and his family in the wake of Drake’s recent B-cell leukemia diagnosis in November. The benefit will be held Saturday, Feb. 24, from 2-6 p.m. at the Mayville Legion, 144 S. Erie St. in Mayville.

The son of John and Debbie McKane, and the youngest of their four children, Drake is a seventh-grade student at Chautauqua Lake Central School who enjoys choir, participating in musicals and loves Legos. He is currently undergoing treatment at Oshei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo.

Rick Syper, who is coordinating the Feb. 24 benefit, said he has been encouraged by the overwhelming outpouring of support for Drake and his family.

“This has already been such a great success with all the community support we’ve received,” Syper said. “The Chautauqua Lake girls’ basketball team raised a lot of money from a benefit they did last week, and we’ve also had people from Fredonia join us on the committee for this benefit.”

“So it’s not just a small little community venture, this has been countywide,” Syper continued.

The benefit will be held in the form of a spaghetti dinner, with other offerings such as a Chinese auction, a silent auction, a 50/50 raffle and high-end door prizes also available. Local band “The Bogarts” will provide live music for the afternoon.

Tickets to the benefit are $10 per person and $20 per family. Monetary donations are still being accepted, and can be mailed to: Drake McKane Donations, PO Box 144, Mayville, NY, 14757.

For information on tickets, donations or other benefit support, contact Syper at 753-6109.