Welcome Message
Dear AAVChap Community,
WELCOME!
We’re overjoyed to launch Paws 4 Reflection as our ranks grow since our March 3 debut. Your passion for caregivers, families, and animal companions warms my heart. I’m Scott Campbell, Founder of the American Association of Veterinary Chaplains (AAVChap), and we’re deeply grateful. This journey began with Rev. Karen Hutt, my seminary mentor and friend, who guided me into public chaplaincy and nurtured this vision from the start. From Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine (WSU CVM) roots, we’re building a movement to cherish every sacred connection. AAVChap supports caregivers, nurtures families, and celebrates companions—bringing wholeness to the human-animal bond. Let’s grow this community together, sharing stories and support coast to coast, creating a legacy of care that touches every life.
Peace,
Scott
Scott S. Campbell, MS, MHt, MDiv
Founder & President, AAVChap
Spotlight on the Heart: Animal Caregivers
This month, we honor Animal Caregivers—the heartbeat of our interspecies family. From veterinarians, techs/nurses, assistants, and facility staff, to groomers, shelter workers, disaster relief teams, therapy handlers, wildlife rehabilitators, and many more, you weave care into every bond. We see you: the vet tech soothing a frightened companion with compassion, easing its fear as the family watches, grateful. Your hands cradle trust where words fall short.
Yes, we see you. You’re there in clinics, shelters, and crisis zones—the shelter hand staying late to soothe a new arrival, the therapy handler whose calm steadies a room. At AAVChap, we’re in awe of your heart—your quiet strength lifts every life you touch, human and animal alike, and we’re here to walk beside you.
Thank you. Do you have an uplifting moment from a client, caretaker, or family to share? Please send it to newsletter@aavchap.org by April 1 [150–200 words]. Next month, we’ll honor Caretakers/Families, then Animals in May, Caregivers again in June.
Community Updates: What’s New in AAVChap
Our content evolves! Track these areas:
- Echoes of Compassion (public blog):
- In Compassionate Practice (members’ blogs):
- General Chaplaincy: ‘How to Talk About Veterinary Chaplaincy’ (March 10)
- Caregivers: ‘Supporting Caregivers: Emotional Resilience’ (March 17)
- Caretakers/Families: ‘Making Connections: Building Meaningful Relationships with Clients’ (Jan 6, 2025)
- Animals: ‘Caring for Patients: Easing Fear and Stress’ (Jan 6, 2025)
- Members, submit your blog articles for publication to blogs@aavchap.org
- Webinar:
- Veterinary Chaplaincy 101 (3rd week in April, Day/Time: TBD, Free; Future webinars $10 for non-members; members get recordings)
- Presentations/Events:
- April 12, 2025: Celebration of Life & Remembrance for Our Animal Companions. WSU CVM, Pullman, WA. Contact: WSU Veterinary Chaplain
- April 29, 2025: Fostering Collaborative Care: The Synergy of Veterinary Social Work and Veterinary Chaplaincy. SCA Caring for the Human Spirit Conference (Online). Contact: SCA Caring for the Human Spirit Conference
- AAVChap News:
- AAVChap Membership Takes Flight!
(10 Mar 2025, Scott Campbell)
The American Association of Veterinary Chaplains (AAVChap) is officially open—and our community is growing! Since our launch near the beginning of March, we’ve been thrilled to welcome a wave of new members passionate about veterinary chaplaincy and spiritual care for the human-animal bond. From veterinary teams to chaplains, chaplaincy students to families, folks are joining us to nurture that sacred connection between humans and animals, weaving compassion into every corner of caregiving. It’s heartwarming to see this movement—dreamed up back in 2021—finally taking root. A client once shared his guilt over not protecting his little dog from an attack—then told me he’d personally fought off the bigger dog, injuring himself to save her. I told him it was one of the most amazing stories of loving compassion I’d ever heard, a heroic act. He relaxed and thanked me—no one had ever told him he’d done enough. That’s AAVChap’s heartbeat: lifting each other when it counts. And we’re just getting started! Are you ready to be part of this journey? Stop by and join us—because together, we’re mending hearts and honoring every bond! - Rev. Sarah Bowen Joins AAVChap as Ex Officio Advisor
(14 Mar 2025, Scott Campbell)
We’re overjoyed to welcome Rev. Sarah Bowen as an ex officio advisor to the AAVChap Board of Directors! Sarah’s a force in animal chaplaincy—co-founder of the Compassion Consortium, where she directs their Animal Chaplaincy Training Program, and author of Sacred Sendoffs, a soulful guide to surviving animal loss and honoring all creatures. She’s been my conversation partner since AAVChap’s early steps, her insights shaping our call to spiritual care for the human-animal bond. A dean at One Spirit Interfaith Seminary and columnist for Spirituality & Health, Sarah’s out there giving sacred sendoffs to wildlife and lifting up endangered species with fierce compassion. Her presence on our board strengthens our weave of care—for clients, caregivers, and animals alike—tending bonds that heal the heart and planet.
- AAVChap Membership Takes Flight!
Voices of Compassion
Welcome to Voices of Compassion! We invite members to share your chaplain heart [250–300 words] by April 1 to newsletter@aavchap.org—available for all to read for inspiration. Your light shines bright in this field, and we’re in awe of it. Reflect on a moment that shaped your veterinary chaplaincy—a rescue’s triumph you witnessed, a client’s farewell you held space for, a caregiver’s strength you bolstered—or the quiet clarity after a long day. I’ve laid a hand on a companion before anesthesia, praying silently, and have seen clients’ gratitude shine. That’s our calling. Non-members, join AAVChap to add your voice! We’ll lift the chaplains’ spirit as you touch lives across roles and regions.
Share your chaplain story or insight at newsletter@aavchap.org by April 1 [250–300 words].
Closing Call
At AAVChap, we’re weaving compassion into every bond. See caregivers gain strength after tough cases, families heal through memories, companions thrive in care—our work transforms lives. Coast to coast, we unite voices, sharing stories that mend hearts and build a legacy of care. This isn’t just support; it’s a revolution of love echoing through every bond in our interspecies web. Join us at aavchap.org for forums, blogs, and webinar recordings. Next issue: April 2025. Contact: membership@aavchap.org. May compassion bless your hands and hearts in all you do. Together, we’re igniting a world where every bond is sacred.