Dear Friends,
I don’t know the exact quotation, but I recall words very much like these: “Anyone can be great, because anyone can serve.” Whatever the specific words were, that message from Martin Luther King, Jr. is clear – each on of us has something to offer and through the service of that gift to others, we become greater than we are and the world becomes a little greater, too.

Steve Waldman is the editor-in-chief of Beliefnet.com where ATouchofEncouragement.com “lives.” Steve has challenged all of us Beliefnet readers to support the Declaration of Service, a nationwide initiative that kicks off this inauguration week. Several years ago I was privileged and humbled to serve on a bi-partisan White House Commission for Service and Civic Participation where I saw first-hand the innumerable and diverse volunteer projects available and in need of citizen support. Our country is bursting with needs as well as opportunities to meet them, from reading to the blind, feeding the homeless, organizing libraries, teaching literacy, visiting in hospitals, collecting clothes and food for the needy, etc. etc. etc. etc. And for every “etcetera” there is someone out there with the gift and the love to volunteer and get the job done.
Just last week my children and I saw a bulletin board asking for people to train their family pets to visit the sick in our community hospital. This is not just an opportunity to serve but to teach our children the joy of serving and that even our tiny Bichon Frise has a purpose to fulfill in this world! And so tomorrow we will make that call and offer our time and our love to friends we haven’t met yet.
Please join me in making your own Declaration of Service this week. I am including a link to Steve Waldman’s message to all of us as well as a link to learn more and to make your own personal Declaration of Service. As we open a new chapter this week in America, I am looking for what I can do to be a positive part of it. Please, prayerfully consider your part, too! And please write in and share your ideas for volunteer opportunities!
Love to all,
Martha
Click here to sign the Declaration of Service