In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a message delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Feb. 4, 1968, "Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love."

Children learn by example - How are you teaching your children to serve one another? As a family you can:

Volunteer with your children – get in the trenches and give of yourself. My son and I volunteer during senior luncheons at our church. The seniors love watching him grow up and he loves the attention. A win-win situation!

Give a little – teach your children charity by having them set aside a percentage of their weekly allowance. My church has an envelope program just for children. Help your children set-up a lemonade stand or hold a bake sale for charity and see those quarters add-up as tangible donations.

Collect Donations – hold a non-perishable food drive/coat drive or collect toys for a non-profit children's organization. Allowing your children to see the fruits of their labor from asking for donations to collection of goods to giving to those in need will instill pride and a giving heart.

Nikki Ducas is a Fredericksburg mom teaching her 4-year-old son how to be charitable at home and in the community.