Service-Learning Field Loses Leader and Friend
Greenfield, Massachusetts — Rahima Carol Wade, 58, died peacefully, embraced by her family at home in Greenfield, Mass. on March 27, 2012 from metastatic breast cancer.
Educator, author, consultant, and pioneer in the area of service-learning, Wade was also a soulmate to many of the people who loved her long and well. She knew the healing power of meditation, music, and dance and engaged in these practices with others regularly for over 30 years. She modeled what it means to live with deep joy and loving compassion, paying attention to the present moment wherever she was.
“Rahima was a supportive colleague and a true and energetic friend,” reflects Susan Root in her blog post after receiving the news. “Her belief in education for civic engagement and social justice and the purity and steadfastness of her purpose were a continuous inspiration to all who knew her.”
A professor at The University of Iowa’s College of Education for 15 years, she wrote five books, and edited the influential title Community Service Learning (1997). She also authored many articles, book chapters, and successful grant applications to promote community service-learning and social justice education. For the past few years she worked as a consultant in the service-learning field and as the coordinator of the volunteer program for the Greenfield Public Schools.
