REALTORS® are adding to previously announced efforts to help those who were slammed by tornadoes on Sunday.

The efforts come after a number of REALTOR® organizations made donations and started collecting supplies Sunday and Monday.

The Illinois Association of REALTORS® immediately donated an initial $7,500 in gift cards to be used in hard-hit areas where supplies are needed immediately. More aid is under consideration as the association gauges the scope of the disaster.

The IAR is working with the REALTORS® Relief Foundation to set up a central funding mechanism. That should be in place by the end of the week.

Meanwhile those donating can do so through their local REALTOR® association.

Among developments on Wednesday:

  • The Chicago Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors approved $5,000 in relief through the REALTOR® Relief Fund. The association’s education foundation approved $1,000 for relief efforts by the Peoria Association of REALTORS®, and another $1,000 will go to other areas of the state hit by the storms.
  •  The Capitol Area Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors voted Tuesday to donate $5,000 to disaster relief. The association os also taking donations of supplies needed for affected communities.
  • The Bloomington-Normal Association of REALTORS® is partnering with a local radio station to get the weord out that donations can be made at the organization’s office.
  • The Champaign County Association of REALTORS® is coordinating a database of available rental properties for areas that may have limited access to temporary housing. The association is also collecting supplies for delivery in several communities that are in the association’s area.
  • Midwest Real Estate Data has sent an email to nearly 40,000 people in its database and other contacts seeking donations. The West Central Association of REALTORS® is soliciting donations from its members.
  • The Peoria Association of REALTORS® has set up a online site to collect money. In just two days 107 people (as of Tuesday night) had donated to help their neighbors.

The IAR donated $25,000 after a tornado in Harrisburg last year. And the association has undertaken Habitat for Humanity projects on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.