An Apex husband and wife team are pairing up a couple of good causes and hoping to make a little money for charity.

Nicolas and Susan Simon hosted the first annual Apex Ball at the Halle Cultural Center for the Arts.

The ball is a jazz themed fundraiser for cancer research that's also aimed at raising the profile of downtown apex.

The black-tie affair had a 1930's theme, and some people arrived in style, stepping out of a Ford Model A at the entrance.

"The community has taken it by storm," said Apex Ambassador JC Knowles. "And we're just tickled to death the way things have developed for it."

Organizers say they wanted something that could raise close to $10,000 for the Dana Farber Institute for Cancer Research in Boston, and decided they needed an event that separated itself from other fundraisers.

"The economy is suffering and it really requires extra effort for everybody to continue contributing to these charities and make sure that important research like cancer research doesn't get interrupted by the economy," said Nicolas Simon.

The Apex Ball featured performances by the NEVER HOME 4 quartet, the Raleigh Jazz Ensemble and singer Susan Reeves.

It completely sold out in its first year, which was a pleasant surprise for organizers.

_______
Keep up with the stories Chris Cowperthwaite is working on every day: http://twitter.com/CCowperthwaite.