By Todd Schmidt

NEILLSVILLE — Former Clark County native Arielle Bixby is a fighter.

Bixby, 24, now of La Crosse, is taking her battle against chronic Lyme disease to the next level. Family members and friends have organized an effort to raise $22,000 needed to send her to the Sanoviv Medical Institute in Mexico, which specializes in treatment not available in the United States for chronic Lyme and other infectious diseases.

The Angels for Arielle benefit is scheduled at the DeerView tavern in Hatfield Aug. 26 beginning at noon.

Fundraising activities include a T-shirt sale, dunk tank, silent auction, 50/50, strip card and paddle raffles, and Chinese raffles with themes for children, sportsmen, and others. Five guns have been donated for prizes.

Registration for a poker run will begin at 10 a.m., and participants leave at 11 a.m. and return by 4 p.m. A bean bag tournament starts at 2 p.m. with registration beginning at 1:30 p.m. In both events, half of the payout will go to the winner, and the balance goes to the Angels for Arielle fund.

A large outdoor pavilion and extra tents will be available for shade and seating. Additional parking will be offered at the Dewhurst Town Hall.

An Angels for Arielle account has been established at the Co-op Credit Union in Black River Falls. Monetary donations can be sent there directly. An Angels for Arielle GoFundMe page has raised more than $3,500.