Cattle Baron's Ball raises $815K

The Cattle Baron's Ball of Southwest Missouri has "shattered our previous record" with its annual fundraiser that benefits American Cancer Society, officials say.

The organization announced on Facebook yesterday that the Sept. 14 event raised $815,000. The banquet was held at Wilson Logistics Arena at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds & Event Center.

"Initially, we announced $700,000 on event night, but thanks to all of the silent auction contributions and a surprise anonymous donation, we shattered our previous record," officials said in the Facebook post. "A massive thank you to every donor, volunteer and sponsor who made this possible."

Prime Inc. served as the presenting sponsor.

The previous fundraising record for the Cattle Baron's Ball was $750,000, set in 2010, said Sherri Tjaden, associate director of development for the American Cancer Society, via email. Last year’s event raised $330,000, she said.

The Cattle Baron’s Ball of Southwest Missouri has raised more than $5.7 million since 2009, according to its website.