Early History

In 1998, our family made the decision to homeschool.  My oldest son was three.  Already a member of a local mom’s group, I knew that within a year the friends he had made would head off to Kindergarten and he would feel left out.  In an effort to connect with the homeschooling community, I joined two large local homeschool support groups and a local on-line homeschooling community.  After nearly a year of membership in these groups, I found that they did not meet my needs for activities and connections for my children.  The exodus to Kindergarten was only months away.

After considering options for months, I took to heart the encouragement offered by another mother, Vickie Isley, and decided to try to start a homeschool support group.  I coordinated a free educational presentation on Sensory Integration at the University City Library.  It was attended by more than 30 homeschool parents.  I put up announcements at the libraries and local grocery stores.  I used the directories I had from prior membership in the local support groups and the list of parents who attended the Sensory Integration class.  I made a list of anyone with a similarly aged child in the University City and Concord areas.  I cold called them all and then emailed them, inviting them to meet at a park to get to know one another and let their children play.  A few came.  Vickie moved to Seattle shortly thereafter.

I continued to invite moms to meet weekly at a local park or at my home for play time for their children.  In 2001, after a year of hosting meetings like this, I invited them all to a play day at my home with the purpose of asking the moms if they’d like to continue meeting under the name Relaxed Homeschoolers and if they would mind having their emails come through yahoo groups.  I shared my vision for an inclusive homeschool support group.  This would be the first and only inclusive group in the Charlotte area.  The moms thought this would be a good idea and so I set up the Relaxed Homeschoolers yahoo group.  Four other moms, Shannon Reichard, Barbara Kennedy, Laurie Waters, and Lisa Jillani agreed to serve on an informal board with me, in case there should be any issues. 

It was very exciting to know that others were interested in building an inclusive group.  I felt that the work of that initial year, before we became a group, was a worthwhile investment!  For the first year of the Relaxed Homeschoolers, Shannon and I coordinated the bulk of activities.  We set up field trips, park days, musical performances, and plays.  Lisa Jillani coordinated the first Annual Recognition Ceremony at Cici’s Pizza in 2001 for seven children.  

In 2002, based on a survey we compiled of homeschoolers in the Charlotte region, Shannon and I shared with the other board members our vision for a group that would serve the homeschooling community,.  Their enthusiasm for that vision launched us on the path that we are on today. 

Doreen Browning, Founder, Enrich