CORRECTION: Diana Grum's name was misspelled in earlier versions of this story.

DENALI PARK - Say hello to Miss Alaska International 2011.

She is our own Diana Grum of Healy, a clinician with Railbelt Mental Health and Addiction.

Grum has never been in a pageant before but was intrigued when she saw an ad on Facebook. So she had her photo taken and sent in an application.

It wasn’t long before she received a phone call from the national headquarters.

“She liked me, I guess,” Grum said. “I actually beat out a former Miss America contestant.”

Organizers told Grum they liked that she was new to pageants and was an “older” candidate. Grum will be 29 in May, which is the age limit. Contestants must be at least 19 to participate.

The 23rd annual Miss International Pageant celebrates young women and their accomplishments. It gives participants a chance to learn about other places, to share their core beliefs and to make new friends at the event.

“I’ve never done a pageant before, ever,” Grum said. “I have a job, I have a master’s degree in social work. I am a mental health clinician and also the rural human service program supervisor.”

“I supervise my co-workers who are the students going through that (educational) program,” she added.

What really intrigued her about the pageant was she could use the forum to promote an important message. The cause she is focused on is preventing teen suicide.

“Unfortunately, Alaska leads the country in suicides,” she said. “It is the third leading cause of death for teenagers. It is very preventable.”

She wants to educate people to recognize the signs and to discover the myths surrounding suicide.

“I want to let people know, if you’re feeling this way, you don’t have to kill yourself. There is help out there. There is CareLine, there are people in your community. We have to keep talking about it.”

In her current role as Miss Alaska International 2011, she is available anytime to talk to groups statewide about ways to prevent teen suicide.

Originally from Maryland, Grum came to Healy 4 1/2 years ago.

“I applied all over the country and Railbelt was the best choice for me,” she said. “I came to Alaska by myself. I didn’t know anybody. I guess I have that adventurous spirit.”

She’s active in local communities, knitting with friends in both McKinley Village and at the Tri-Valley Community Library. She attends circuit training with a group of residents who exercise regularly.

Since putting the pageant on her radar, she goes to Fairbanks every Saturday for an hour of Zumba, a half-hour of strength training with a personal trainer, and then an hour of yoga.

Apres-exercising has been a bit of an obstacle since her water pump froze and she does not have running water at home anymore.

The pageant, held in Chicago at the end of July, involves several competitions.

Forty percent of the score is based on her interview.

“These are questions about who I am and my platform,” she said. “You have to dress appropriately. All my business suits are winter-related. What do you wear when it’s hot and there are stage lights on you?”

Twenty percent is based on her evening gown, which she has yet to obtain.

Twenty percent is based on fun fashion wear.

“This is what you would wear if you were going to be an audience member at a fashion show or if you were going to be attending a New Year’s Eve party in New York City,” she said. “Long and flowing? A cocktail dress?

“I think it’s open to interpretation.”

The final 20 percent is based on fitness wear, which is why Grum is exercising to get in better shape.

“We don’t wear heels, we wear white sneakers, spandex shorts and a sports bra,” she said.

She will meet with a pageant coach in Anchorage at the end of the month to help organize for the event, and to help promote her cause.

She also needs some financial assistance to afford to participate in this pageant. So watch for fundraisers and ways you can help her achieve this goal.

And don’t hesitate to call her if you need a speaker on preventing teen suicide.

The winner gets the pageant’s help in promoting her cause for an entire year.

Smoke-free totem

The Totem Inn is smoke-free as of March 1.

Owner Kevin Hamel said walls are washed and carpets are shampooed to remove any remaining odors, and he is excited to make the change.

“I’m not a smoker, never have been,” he said.

The smoke accumulated in arcade games, requiring cleaning them about every two months, he said. He also didn’t want that pollution on his new bucking Grizzly Bear attraction, which should open soon.

He will build a smoking shack adjacent to the Inn for smokers use.

Meanwhile, the Totem is hosting a pizza buffet on Sundays, when he also allows kids to play the old arcade games he has collected during the years.

Sad farewell

A sad farewell to the Henggeler Family, who left Healy this week to drive to their new home in Colorado.

The entire family was active in the community. Burt Henggeler coached youth hockey and Shelley Henggeler taught dance to elementary students, for Motion Sensors Dance Troupe.

She spearheaded the wildly successful Dancing With The Stars show last Fall and arranged, through a grant, to obtain important theatrical equipment for our performing space.

They will be sorely missed.

Iditarod news

Congratulations Anitra Winkler of Cantwell, who came in second in the 150-mile Junior Iditarod Race recently, running her fourth Junior Iditarod.

A graduate of Cantwell School in 2010, the young woman spent the winter training dogs and said she put about 1,000 miles on the dogs before the race ever started. She was one of 14 mushers entered.

Mike Santos of Wolfs Den Kennel in Cantwell ran his first Iditarod this month and as of Tuesday, ended his race in Unalakleet.

It’s always nice to cheer on a musher from the Denali Borough.

Business seminar

Wondering how to start a small business?

Come to the Denali Chamber of Commerce small business seminar noon to 2 p.m. Thursday at the chamber building.

The session will be presented by Heather Heineken, training and outreach coordinator for Yukon Accounting and Consulting.

Kris Capps is a freelance writer. Her column reporting Denali happenings appears weekly in the News-Miner. She can be reached at kcapps@mtaonline.net.