A Few Fun Facts About PHEA

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• PHEA has been around since the mid-1990’s.
• When Martha first took over, we had about fifty families registered.  The paperwork fit into a portable file box affectionately called “The Brain”.  No one was allowed to ‘mess’ with the brain!
• PHEA now has over a thousand families registered, and we keep the files in seven filing cabinets.
• We still have a few families that are registered with us who joined in 1997 when PHEA began.  A number of them graduated their last student this spring.  Some are still on the journey.  We also have grown children of those families home schooling with us.  At least last year we had two generations home schooling at the same time (parents who are home schooling younger siblings, while the older ones have married and are now home schooling their own children with us.)
• We have been helping families produce transcripts and submit the Palmetto Fellows Application for ten years.
• As part of a major overhaul of our transcript making software last spring, we changed the color of the transcripts from blue to green.  This was a completely practical move – it uses the ink more evenly – we always had yellow left when the red and blue were gone.  We have a new printer and can change each color individually so it does not really matter now.
• What started out as a one person job now employs six people part time.
• Approximately one sixth of all home schooled students in South Carolina are registered with PHEA.
• Martha’s two cats like to help in the office, sleeping on the files, batting around stray pens and making sure everyone knows they are in charge.  They have on occasion brought live chipmunks to the office – apparently when they thought things needed livening up!  On rainy days they have to be closed out because the PHEA seal is not a kitty paw print.  Some of your folders do however have this additional ‘seal’ on them.
• Not surprisingly we receive the most mail around the re-registration deadline at the end of July.  On July 31 and August 1^st  and 2^nd we receive about 100 applications each day.  The rest of the week before and after, it is closer to 40 a day.  (So if you have waited till this week please don’t be too alarmed if it takes more than a week or two to hear back from us.) 
• The only three days of the year that our phone does not ring are Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.  Sometimes it starts as early as 7 am.  It has been known to ring past midnight – though that is rare (thank you!)
• We buy close to three thousand stamps each year.
• We love the work and the opportunity to minister to you.  We hope you had no idea how big we have grown because we strive to always treat you like you are the only one we need to help.  When we fall short (and we do from time to time) this might give you a better picture of how that might happen.