Johnson area governments compete for charity

IOWA CITY – Even in death, Linda Severson inspires charitable giving.

Johnson County governments will compete, in a friendly manner, in the Severson Holiday Charity Challenge this month in honor of the former human services coordinator for the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County.

Severson died of cancer in August at age 61. She was known and admired for her desire to help people in need and her work with nonprofit organizations like the Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Arc of Southeast Iowa, which serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“There are a lot of great people in this town who volunteer, but that was her life, that's who she was,” said Steve Long, Iowa City's community development director.

In the position she held with the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County from 1994 until her death, Severson was technically a city employee, and for years she coordinated the city of Iowa City's holiday donation drive.

The Severson Holiday Charity Challenge was proposed as a way to continue that effort while adding other local governments.

A final list of participants is still being compiled, but the response was enthusiastic at a recent MPOJC meeting.

“She was one of the heroes … who just makes a difference every day,” said Johnson County Supervisor Janelle Rettig.

The entity that gets the most donations per full-time employee will receive the “Severson Cup,” which will serve as a travelling trophy each year. Iowa City Council member and Herteen & Stocker Jewelers co-owner Terry Dickens has agreed to have it engraved.

Organizers said one of the best parts about the challenge is participants get to pick their charity. Iowa City employees, for example, will donate goods and money to the Joan Buxton School Children's Aid Fund. University Heights chose the Crisis Center of Johnson County and Hope Lodge, which gives cancer patients and their caregivers a place to stay when getting treatment away from home.

“We didn't want to select one charity,” Iowa City Clerk Marian Karr said. “Linda worked with a lot of charities.”

A common theme from people who knew Severson is that she operated behind the scenes and didn't seek recognition for her work with social-service organizations.

“It was never about Linda,” said Karen Jennings, Iowa City's personnel administrator.

The Severson Holiday Charity Challenge is, of course, about Severson – to a degree.

Ultimately it's about helping people in need, which is a cause to which Severson surely would have lent her name.