This week is National Volunteer Week and the Knoxville community is thankful for its dedicated volunteers. 

At last Monday’s Knoxville City Council meeting, Knoxville Mayor Brian Hatch read a National Volunteer Week proclamation which stated that the hundreds of citizen volunteers in Knoxville form the backbone of the local community and, local volunteers devote thousands of hours each year in Knoxville toward important community projects, various social services, health and nutrition programs, education, civic progress, community events, and service to the youth, elderly, and disabled persons of this community, among countless other endeavors that benefit mankind.

The City of Knoxville has several city boards and commissions that are also all made up of volunteers wanting to give back to the community. With the Knoxville Nationals being a massive annual event, the community is used to volunteers stepping up to make large events happen. However, the community continues to need volunteer support with RAGBRAI’s overnight stop in Knoxville on July 24th. Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Nathan Sage says volunteers are crucial, especially with RAGBRAI and Nationals approaching.

“Volunteers is how we survive. If we didn’t have a volunteer group, and the people out there willing to give their time and effort to the community, a lot of the things we want to do wouldn’t get done without them. It takes a community of volunteers. Luckily, since I’ve been chamber director it seems like that influx of volunteers and people willing to serve has increased, and we love seeing that. We just need it to keep increasing with everything coming up as far as RAGBRAI and nationals.”

If you are interested in volunteering for RAGBRAI you can follow this link.