I do agree with your point that 4 hours is not much and that it should not be taken lightly. However I still admire him for even thinking about it and don't think he is longing for some god like recognition. View it as a first step for him and maybe, if he realizes how much he is enjoying doing something charitable he will want to do much more. Hopefully you find a project that allows you to understand what they do within the first day and then can commit some more time to it during 2012!