Meet the mother of two who made the largest donation ever to Iowa City school foundation
Christine Boge doesn't love the idea of being in the spotlight, even after donating the largest individual sum to the Iowa City school district's foundation in its 40-year history.
"I'm normally a very private person. This is not the sort of thing (where) I would normally be like, 'Everyone look at me,'" Boge said in an interview. "I live a kind of quiet life here."
But the 27-year employee of Integrated DNA Technologies from Farley, Iowa, said it's important to remind everyone — including her two children, ages 11 and 12 — to be generous.
"By giving some of the money I've earned away, it creates the need in their minds that they're going to need to work, just like I did, to be successful," she said.
The $1 million donation, spread out in $50,000 installments for 20 years, is made out to the Foundation for the Iowa City Community School District. The fundraising arm for the district funnels private money into enrichment and support programs on topics like the arts, equity and curricular pilot programs.
Boge, who is on the foundation's board of directors, intends for the money to go to initiatives focused on closing opportunity gaps.
She likes the idea of programs that help "keep people in school" by providing families with basic necessities like utility bills, diapers and clothes for job interviews. She also points to a current program that helps paraeducators move into full teaching roles.
"I'm a product of public education; I grew up in the farm crisis of the '80s. I was a free-lunch kid in a time period when my parents were farmers, and it wasn't good to be a farmer in the United States," Boge said. "I see how it's easy for people to not finish school."
The foundation for ICCSD provides between $500,000 and $750,000 to the schools annually, said Susan Brennan, its executive director.
"I think when you boil it all down, our entire purpose is to serve as a point of inspiration and a point of connection for our students," Brennan said. "And so we deliberately do things for the schools that bring in (things), whether it's programs or events or opportunities, that are outside of the school district budget."
The district, foundation and Boge will work together to decide how to spend the $1 million donation as needs arise.
"What COVID taught us was that the needs can change, and they can change really fast in the schools; what we need, what we have to address," Brennan said. "Setting up a (Christine Boge Greatest Need Fund) allows us to be nimble to changing district needs."
Cleo Krejci covers education for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. You can reach her at ckrejci@press-citizen.com.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Why mother of two donated $1 million to Iowa City schools foundation
