Hoops for scholarships
NORTH ANDOVER — Dozens of children will shoot hoops Saturday night to raise money for college-bound teenagers at the Wood Ridge Homes, the town's largest affordable-housing complex.
Organizers are holding the first-ever Wood Ridge Homes Scholarship Fund Three-on-Three Tournament to bulk up the dwindling fund meant for sending teens off to school with money for books.
"Right now we just have some jars that people throw pennies into," tournament director Fred Lumb said.
The tournament is being held at the new basketball courts at the complex and is open to middle school and high school boys and girls.
It costs $45 per team, and many local businesses and corporations have come forward to sponsor teams. About 29 teams have already signed up, Lumb said, and people can sign up that evening.
The Wood Ridge Homes are off Woodridge Drive.
The tournament runs from 4 to 9 p.m.
It's back to school in the Valley
Labor Day will be the last family summer fling before the start of school.
Schools in Greater Lawrence open as early as Sept. 2, with St. Monica School in Methuen leading the way.
Here are some starting dates:
r In Andover: Public and Catholic schools open Sept. 4, except for the nursery and pre-kindergarten at St. Augustine School, which begins Sept. 5. At Philips Academy, classes start Sept. 9.
r In North Andover: School begins Sept. 3 for grades one to 12. Kindergarten starts Sept. 5 and preschool opens Sept. 8.
r In Methuen: Public schools and Presentation of Mary Academy open Sept. 3 for pre-kindergarten and students in grades one to 12. Public kindergarten starts Sept. 10. At St. Monica School, classes start Sept. 2.
r In Lawrence: Public schools open Sept. 2 for grades one to 12. Pre-kindergarten and kindergartners start Sept. 8. Central Catholic High School opens for all students Sept. 8.
Veritas Bank moves into new digs
LAWRENCE — Veritas Bank, the upstart financial institution headed by local businessman Pedro Arce, has moved from its temporary offices at 354 Merrimack St. to its new headquarters at 486 Essex St.
Arce said the move took place last week. While the headquarters is open, the bank is not open for business. Arce said he is still looking for about 100 investors to put in about $20,000 each to reach a goal of $10 million in start-up money for the fledgling institution. The minimum investment is $10,000 and the company now has about $8 million.
"The last $2 million is going to be really hard," he said. "The money is coming in very slowly."
The bank had been scheduled to open in October 2007 but has struggled to meet its $10 million goal. It sought and received an extension from state banking officials to open the bank by this coming October.
He said the sluggish economy is a big reason it has taken so long to line up investors, who include Red Sox player Mike Lowell, real estate and pizza entrepreneur Sal Lupoli, and a host of local attorneys and financial services advisers.
Arce hopes to get another celebrity name involved —.Julio Lugo.
The bank is intended to be a community institution serving the Latinos, who make up 70 percent of the population of Lawrence. There are no other locally chartered banks in the city.
Nearly $20,000 raised in golf event
ANDOVER — About 100 golfers participated in the seventh annual Michael B. Christensen Memorial Golf Tournament, raising $19,500 for the family support center named in his memory.
The tournament was held Aug. 18 at the Andover Country Club.
The Michael B. Christensen Family Support Center, part of the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, is at 350 Essex St., Lawrence. Christensen, an advocate for child abuse prevention, also served as a past president of the Exchange Club and a blue ribbon campaign co-chairman.
He died seven years ago at age 40 due to an undetected heart condition.
