The Tel-Hi's and lows of a student journalist

I stumbled upon my midterm subject while looking for a meeting in North Beach. I read online that a group called the Friends of Tel-Hi would be holding a meeting at the Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center on a Tuesday night in early October and decided to check it out. I was worried I’d be late and began preparing for the embarrassment that generally comes from sauntering into meetings 10 minutes late… To my surprise (and great relief), I was actually early- 24 hours early.

A member of the center's staff introduced me to Tel-Hi's director, Tim Daniels, who explained that the meeting was actually the next day but had been pushed back a week. Apparently the Friends decided to postpone and take a well-deserved break after the success of their first fundraiser, Breakfast for Books. After chatting briefly with Daniels about the center's stance on the controversy surrounding the possible renovation of the North Beach library (Tel-Hi's chosen to remain neutral so as not to alienate donors but keeps its doors open to community groups on both sides of the issue that wish to hold their meetings at the center), it occurred to me that Tel-Hi might make an interesting profile subject.

I googled the center when I got home and learned that it was founded by Grace Cathedral Sunday school teachers Elizabeth Ashe and Alice Griffith in 1890 and was one of the first settlement homes on the west coast. More than 100 years later, Tel-Hi continues reaching out to the community through its preschool, K-5 after school academy, summer camp, teen leadership, and senior programs, as well as a partnership with North Beach Place. Each day, Tel-Hi serves approximately 600 members of the North Beach and China Town communities ranging from age two-and-a-half to 102 (and "everyone in between," according to Daniels).

I spent the weeks that followed milling around Tel-Hi in my spare time, trying to observe as much as I could. Two of my more memorable visits involved sitting in on meetings of the North Beach Neighbors and the Friends of Tel-Hi, neither of which involved any direct contact with Daniels- yet the day I stopped by to find out if I might be able to ask him some questions, or if he'd prefer to be interviewed via e-mail, he commented on my persistence and jokingly referred to me as being "like a fungus."

Needless to say, I wasn't particularly amused, especially since he went on to suggest numerous times that I volunteer at the center/write for their newsletter. I get that he thought he was being funny, but I didn't enjoy feeling like my attempt to bring attention to such an interesting facet of the community was a bother. It didn't help that he seemed semi-suspicious of my motives every time he asked what this was for/what my angle was. I suffered further disappointment when I learned that in order to speak to the children who participate in Tel-Hi's programs, I'd have to secure a release and be supervised by a third party. I got the impression Daniels wasn't too keen to go through this particular process for the purpose of my midterm.

In spite of the aforementioned setbacks, I was ultimately happy with the interviews I got. My story didn't turn out the way I expected it to, but I still feel like I managed to shine a light on a deserving organization.