Baker Lake (Feb 02/05) - She has the perfect name for someone who works with youth and the painful issue of suicide: Grace.

Grace Tagoona, 33, hopes to bring a touch of grace to everything she does, especially to the youth group she created a little over two years ago.

"She works very hard to make young people know their lives are worth something," said Grace's aunt, Irene Tagoona. "It takes a community to pull together to make lives lighter for the youth. They perceive life as being very heavy. As a result, so many are gone."

Grace wants to change that. That is one of the reasons she started the Baker Lake Tear Drop Youth Group.

The group meets about once a month at the Christian Fellowship Hall, a building once owned by Armand Tagoona, Irene's father.

The group's focus is suicide prevention in the community.

Initially, the group had the words "Suicide Prevention" in the name.

"But the word suicide tends to scare the kids off," said Grace. "I explained to them that it's not a group there to help if you're feeling suicidal. It's a safe place."

Grace has personal experience with suicide.

Her husband took his life in 1995. He was 27-years-old, she was 23.

Grace, a mother of five, overcame her grief enough to begin helping others. She talks to the schools and started the youth group two years ago.

Irene feels that Grace doesn't get the recognition she deserves for all the work she does with the youth.

Every year now the youth group holds a number of fundraising events that raise awareness about suicide.

Their "Walk for Life" was held in August.

Now they are organizing a formal dance for Valentine's Day to raise money to keep the youth group going.

"Baker Lake doesn't have a prom," said Grace. "So I thought we should have a formal."