This weekend’s first annual Black & White Ball raised about $4,000 for the Mower County Relay for Life.

A team of IBI Data employees hosted the formal fundraising affair Friday at the Holiday Inn.

IBI team captain Dagna Simmons said she did not have a specific fundraising goal for the event, but that the team hopes to raise a total of $7,500 before the local summer relay which benefits the American Cancer Society.

Prior to the ball, they raised $1,400 with a candle sale and a scrapbook weekend.

The ball included entertainment, a live and silent auction, chair massages, door prizes and raffles.

“We would like to thank all who attended, all who donated both auction items and their time to help,” Simmons said.

Mower County Relay For Life has a fundraising goal of $102,500. The relay takes place at Veterans Pavillion/Bandshell Park in Austin on Aug. 7 and 8.

According to the American Cancer Society, the first team relay event was held in 1986, when 19 teams participated in Washington. Today, more than 4,400 relays occur throughout the United States, with more than 20 nations joining the efforts.

For more information about the Mower County Relay for Life, go to www.mowercountyrelayforlife.org.