Summer

President’s Message:
Humane Education & Faith – A Good Fit

Dear APHE Members,

With this issue we hope to celebrate how faith plays into Humane and Character education. It’s a good fit, humane education and faith. There’s a definition of Character Education that goes something like this: “Good character means doing the right thing even when nobody is watching.” And that got me thinking about the definition of faith.

According to Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, faith means:
1 a: allegiance to duty or a person – loyalty
b (1): fidelity to one’s promises (2): sincerity of intentions
2 a (1): belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2): belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion
b (1): firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2): complete trust
3: something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially a system of religious beliefs

When I looked at these definitions, I couldn’t help but think about the faith I have in humane education. It is for me, something I believe in with strong conviction.

After the largest conference in APHE history and an incredibly productive two years led by Sheryl Pipe, Ph.D, I feel a little overwhelmed. What a year to become your new APHE President! I struggle to fi nd the words to express how honored and grateful I am. The amount of enthusiasm, dedication and talent in this group is beyond compare.

For the past four years, I have been fortunate to be able to serve the Association with a very skilled and passionate Board of Directors. This year will be exciting and new for many Board members. During the Annual Membership Meeting in January, we elected seven members to the APHE Board. Stacey Zeitlin with the San Diego Humane Society was elected to her second consecutive three-year term. We welcomed Jane Deming with the American Humane Association back to the board after her mandatory year hiatus after serving two consecutive terms. We also welcomed Dan Idzinga with the Humane Society of Broward County, Beth Karzes with the Humane Society of Sonoma County, Anna Lutgen with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Laurelin Sitterly with the Rhode Island SPCA, and Cathy Stewart with the Greater Birmingham Humane Society. Thank you for devoting your time and talent to the Association!

On that same note, I’d like to say thank you to ALL of our wonderful members! We are a group that supports and shares ideas with one another via the Email List, Conferences and Regional Workshops. Members are also contributing articles and photos to the Packrat newsletter like never before. In January, many of you responded to our APHE Member Survey (visit www.aphe.org and log into the Members’ Area for a summary of the survey results). With your input, APHE has an even bigger future, with lots of new opportunities on the horizon. The theme of the member survey was “we want more” and in 2008 you can expect opportunities to get more involved by joining an APHE committee, more opportunities to network with your peers and more resources in the Packrat and on the website.

I’m impressed by where we have been as an organization, where we are now and where we are headed. In fact, look for Liz Baranowski’s special article in this issue, on the history of the APHE and photos of old Packrat Issues. How far we have come! I know I am proud and I hope all of you are too! I look forward to seeing you at next year’s conference in Alexandria,Virginia. Stay tuned for more details.

With sincere appreciation,

Corey Price
APHE President