This week is National Volunteer Week, a week to recognize that volunteerism is a building block to a strong and thriving community.  The Drupal Community is no different: as an open-source project our volunteers are vital to the health and growth of our project.  There are so many roles and levels of contribution within our Drupal ecosystem that we at the Drupal Association wanted to highlight how much your contribution means to us and our work.  I took some time and asked around, here’s some of the glowing praise our staff has to say about our phenomenal volunteers. 

“I am continually impressed with the volunteers that I get to work with.  Not only do they rock at their jobs, but they are so dedicated to the work that they do for Drupal and the Cons specifically!  Anyone who has volunteered for a Con knows that it is a large undertaking, and a responsibility that isn't taken lightly. These volunteers come back each week with positive attitudes, valuable ideas and great results.  Although I have only been at the Association for a little over six months, I can truly say that these volunteers are what gives our Cons the 'special sauce' and I am lucky to get to work with volunteers from around the globe on a daily basis.” 

- Amanda Gonser, DrupalCon Coordinator

“Most of my day is spent with Drupal Association staff, who have the luxury of getting paid to think about Drupal for 8 hours a day. A good chunk of my job is working with volunteers though-- the Board of Directors, Drupal.org Working Groups, Community Organizers, DrupalCon session speakers. So many of you give so much of your time and your smarts back to the project and the community, and it's my privilege and duty to learn from you all.”

- Holly Ross, Executive Director

"I look forward to working with community volunteers to help build and improve Drupal.org. The site would not be where it is today without everyone's work."

- Neil Drumm, Drupal.org Lead Architect

“I want to thank Cathy and Jared for being my sprint mentor at DrupalCon Latin America. I made my first comment on the issue queue. It felt so good to cross into that world finally, even if it is was just a baby toe crossing over.”

- Megan Sanicki, COO

“It feels like I’m hearing news every day about the amazing programs our community members put together all over the world — from Los Angeles to Uganda and beyond. Without help from amazing community volunteers who donate time working on social media, in the issue queues, or even volunteers who take a brief moment to drop a note in my inbox (“have you seen this?”), these stories would never be shared with our wider community.” 

- Leigh Carver, Content Writer

Today, we invite you to take a few minutes to recognize your fellow Drupal contributors by tweeting or sending a message via IRC to appreciate each other.  After all, without our volunteers, our Drupal Community would not be as lively, bright, and welcoming.  Want to lend a hand?  Our get involved page has plenty of ways to volunteer with the project.