Colleen Wade Grady
Naomi Bryson
The African American Association of Sun Lakes (AAASL) is a nonprofit, social organization that brings together, in a spirit of fellowship, a group of individuals residing in or within 100 miles of Sun Lakes. Currently, there are about 90 members. Coleen Wade Grady has been a member for 15 years. She brings enthusiasm, excitement, and efficiency as an active participant in her many roles within the organization, including past events coordinator. As an events coordinator, she oversaw the planning and execution of four to six events per year. Although she is an excellent organizer who pays attention to detail, she is passionate about helping people. She is a team player, a people person, and supporter. She moved to Sun Lakes and joined the AAASL after attending a Christmas party sponsored by the organization.
Colleen is proud of her heritage and is an ardent subscriber of Ancestry.com. Her family came from Jamaica, a Caribbean nation with British ties and architecture. Her grandfather was British. After leaving Jamaica, her family (mother, father, and brother) settled in Harlem, N.Y., where she was born and educated through high school. She recalls that most of her teachers were Jewish. She is the first member of her family born in the U.S.
While her brother went to college at Hampton University in Virginia, Colleen chose (with her mother’s coaching) St. Mary’s of the Woods College (SMWC) in Indiana where she majored in speech pathology. This led to an illustrious teaching career in Special Education Speech Pathology. While a first-year student at SMWC, she met Raleigh Wade, a handsome athlete and student who was a junior at Indiana University. She liked what she saw in him, such as his kindness, patience, and desire to travel. She married him after graduating from college. That was 42 years ago. Raleigh is also a member of AAASL.
Colleen and Raleigh are the proud parents of a daughter, Dionne, and a son, Adam. They are also proud of their grandson and visit them often. Besides visiting their children and grandson, they have traveled extensively in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. What’s on her bucket list? South Africa and Portugal and a return to Paris. Colleen excitedly recalled her visit to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Raleigh has his own exciting story of how he ran with the bulls in Spain. She also gets excited when she talks about helping others and hopes that her children will help others, know that there is power in prayer, and do the best that they can to keep her grandson healthy and well.
Volunteering does not end with AAASL. Colleen is a volunteer usher at the Chandler Center for the Arts and at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, giving help and directions to passengers. You will see her and Raleigh wearing their purple blazers helping passengers. What does she do for fun? She plays bingo with a group of friends and visits the casinos to watch them gamble. She sees helping others as fun.