The community that has built up here over the years is awesome. If you're new to the site and would like to get more involved with us than the occasional forum post, there are plenty of options for you to dip your toes in the water, as it were -- even if you're not a musician! Swing by IRC and chat (or just hang out and laugh at the random jokes), play a few rounds of Team Fortress 2 on the OCR server, or just join the Steam group.
Back in 2008 when I threw in a few dollars, I never thought that my involvement here would contribute significantly to my graduate studies. I'm looking forward to presenting my first paper at a major conference next month, largely because of assistance from a number of OCR community members. Presenting as part of an academic conference panel is relatively rare for a master's student -- we usually get relegated to poster presentations or the role of assistant. Thanks to everyone for helping me get to where I want to be!
Needless to say, I'm happy to continue to throw my hat into the ring, hopefully for a larger amount this year (gotta chat w/ my wife, who does the finances). Thanks again to Jimmy for starting this annual fund drive!