Dear Parents and Teachers,

My name is Trish Wiley-Hyman and I'm a busy parent just like you. One day I was attending a PTA meeting at my daughter's middle school. I was listening to the announcements, and wondering how I'd managed to miss out on so much. What were these events they were talking about? How come I hadn't heard about the latest fundraisers? I wanted to ask the moms and dads around me, but found myself too embarrassed to bring it up. WHY wasn't I receiving the important notices from my child's school?

After the meeting, we went home and searched my daughter's backpack for clues. Sure enough, there were about seven different "important" papers sandwiched between books, schoolwork and various other items, all stuffed into her backpack. No wonder the messages weren't making it home to us!

That night I told my husband that we needed to find a better means of getting these important papers from school to home and back to school again. Just think of the permission slips, report cards, health testing, and other items that could be delayed, lost or damaged en route. Think of all the missed deadlines and important notes gone unsigned. There had to be a better way!

Suddenly, an idea flashed in my brain. There should be a tube clipped to the backpack. It would be my daughter's responsibility to get the information into the tube. It then would be my responsibility to look at the items in the tube, sign, and put back in whatever needed to be returned to the school.

I went into the garage and came back with a paper towel tube attached to a key chain - my very first product "prototype."  "LOOK" I said. "This is it - but it would be a clear plastic tube." He laughed, but I knew we had something here. THE PARENT TUBE was born.