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Politicians pay tribute to young woman

Politicians paid tribute to Angel Carlick in the legislature on Thursday.In the gallery, about 40 people, including family and friends, listened to…

Politicians paid tribute to Angel Carlick in the legislature on Thursday.

In the gallery, about 40 people, including family and friends, listened to the tributes. Many wore blue ribbons with a small, gold angel glued in the middle.

The body of Carlick, 19, was found Friday afternoon. She had been missing for nearly six months.

“In the face of grief I find comfort in her family and friends that they request that we not focus on grief, but rather that we celebrate the life of Angel and remember her accomplishments of her very short life,” said Justice Minister Marion Horne.

“May she be remembered for the positive role model she set for her peers.

“Angel Carlick was an advocate for disadvantaged youth. She did all this for her community and to make a better place for youth.”

A Whitehorse resident discovered Carlick’s remains while walking through a wooded area in the middle of the Pilot Mountain subdivision. She was last seen May 27.

Before she went missing, Carlick was putting her life back on track after spending a booze-soaked year homeless and out of school.

But she went back to high school and was about to graduate.

She was working at the Blue Feather Youth Centre and had an apartment where she planned to live with her younger brother.

Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell recalled seeing Carlick’s photo on the screen at her graduation ceremony just before she went missing.

Her life was a success, but her death is our failure, he said.

“So many of our youth have fallen through the cracks,” said Mitchell. “They are on the outside looking in. So many are homeless or at risk with no safety net. The failure is ours, as members of this assembly.

“Our youth don’t need a handout; they need a hand up. They need to know that we, as a society, value them and believe they are all precious and all have a contribution to make — to know that there is hope for the future. This would be a fitting legacy to the life of Angel Carlick.”

Sitting in the public gallery were Carlick’s grandmother, Angel Carlick; her mother, Wendy Carlick and aunts and uncles.

Finding Carlick’s body will help bring closure to her tragic story, said NDP MLA John Edzerza.

“Traditionally, First Nations believe that our spirit does not belong to us and the spirit goes back to the Creator after we leave this life, and it’s a far better place than here (and) that is where Angel is now,” he said.

“She was putting together a life of achievement and compassion that serve as an example for all of us. Let us carry that thought through the next difficult days and longer.” (JW)

n FUNDRAISING

Dine for Africa’s sake

The Fair Aid Society is hosting a spaghetti dinner fundraiser Sunday night.

The money raised will go towards health-care related projects in the Congo.

Joanne Leung, the founder of the non-profit organization, will be taking the money to the country personally.

She’ll be going to Lubumbashi, the Congo’s second largest city, on November 24.

“We’re treating vulnerable sick people — people who would never be able to get the help otherwise,” said Leung.

“I’ll be watching and overseeing some of the projects myself, and also planning for the new year.”

Patients receive free check-ups, vitamins if they are malnourished — as most in the impoverished nation are — and a package of staple foods.

At the spaghetti dinner there will also be a silent auction will donated prizes ranging from a $100 gift certificate at Bocelli’s Pizzeria to private swing and yoga lessons.

The dinner will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Hellaby Hall in downtown Whitehorse.

Tickets are $10 each and children under 12 eat for free. (CO)