Members of the Egyptian Board of REALTORS® (EBOR) gathered last weekend to support local businesses and their communities by volunteering at the second annual Southern Illinois Made Expo in Marion.

Proceeds from the expo and donations collected during the event will benefit Veterans Honor Flights of Southern Illinois. The expo was started last year by State Sen. Dale Fowler of Harrisburg with the support of the Southern Illinois Chambers of Commerce.

EBOR members helped sell raffle tickets, greeted members of the public, distributed bags, helped with crowd control and helped tear down displays at the end of the event, according to REALTOR® Teresa Camarato, the state legislative contact for Fowler.

“When Senator Fowler was first elected he told us his idea for this event, and we wanted to be a part of it. Our big challenge this year was to sell lots of raffle tickets for a donated RV and a donated child’s playhouse,” said Camarato. “The totals aren’t in yet, but the RV raffle probably raised more than $15,000 alone. We hope to reach a total of $40,000 for the entire event.”

Volunteers included REALTORS®: Ayn Bartok, EBOR President Cynthia Bevis, Camarato, Melanie Hampton, Robert Helleny, Shannon Herkert, Marianne James, Tammy Kissing, EBOR CEO Charay Palmer and Immediate Past President Suzanne Wood.

Illinois REALTORS® local Governmental Affairs Director Ron Deedrick helped EBOR secure a small grant to help with sponsorship for the event.

(Photos by Teresa Camarato and Charay Palmer)