EMPOWERING WOMEN: Annette’s Climb Inc., based in Groveland, is making it easier for some women to go to college.

The nonprofit recently donated $5,000 to fund four $1,250 scholarships for students in North Shore Community College’s Women in Transition program.

“The funds provided by Annette’s Climb Inc. help bridge the gap that so often occurs in our students’ lives just when they are trying to get back on their feet,” said Margaret ­Figgins-Hill, coordinator of the Women in Transition program. “It makes such a huge difference and allows these women to continue their schooling and work toward their goals. We are very grateful for our partnership with Annette’s Climb.”

Annette’s Climb is dedicated to creating community support and awareness for abused women and their children.

Named for Annette Soares, a Danvers native who was beaten to death by her boyfriend in April 2002 at age 39, Annette’s Climb is an annual hike started by her brother, John Soares. The hike, which raises money to assist victims of domestic violence, is a metaphor for the struggle Annette and other victims have endured due to domestic abuse.

The next hike is scheduled for April 26-28, 2013. 

North Shore’s Women in Transition program helps women take the first steps toward a college degree. It includes — but is not limited to — women who have survived critical, traumatic life experiences; are single mothers; desire a career change; or are divorced or widowed. The two-semester, part-time program is designed to accommodate women who have other commitments besides college.

For more information on the Women in Transition program, call 978-739-5515 or visit www.annettesclimb.com. 

VAN GO: Raw Art Works, or RAW, in Lynn has expanded its free mobile art program.

Each summer, the nonprofit’s Van Go creates opportunities for collaborative and spontaneous art-making throughout the city.

Weather permitting, RAW will be at Keaney Park and Memorial Park on Tuesday, at Lynn Commons on Aug. 14, and Lynn Heritage State Park on Aug. 21, with all sessions from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Founded in 1988 by art therapists, RAW has been recognized for its approach of merging arts education and youth development. Its programs are designed to create a continuum of free arts programming to children and teens, ages 6 to 19, with increased challenge and responsibility at each developmental stage.

RAW’s continuum culminates with Project Launch, a college access program in which volunteer mentors and RAW staff support students and their families through the college and financial-aid application process.

More than 90 percent of RAW’s graduating class this year has been accepted to college. This year, RAW has also partnered with Lesley University to offer college credit to youths in its film program.

Visit www.rawartworks.org. 

Marie Wakefield helps wrap gifts for Operation Troop Support at Brooksby Village in Peabody.

GIFTS FOR THE TROOPS: People who live and work at Brooksby Village, a retirement community in Peabody, recently wrapped about 4,000 gifts and signed nearly 3,000 holiday cards for Operation Troop Support. 

“We box up a number of items and then wrap them all in festive holiday paper,” said Fran Gerrior, community resources lead coordinator at Brooksby Village. “Every year it’s a very successful event.”

It was the fifth year Brooksby Village participated in the gift wrapping program.

Operation Troop Support, headquartered in Danvers, sends the gifts to military personnel serving overseas or recovering in stateside hospitals, and also works with their families.

WHO’S WHAT WHERE: Mark L. Lalli of Haverhill was honored by University of Massachusetts Lowell during commencement exercises with the College of Engineering Dean’s Gold Medal for Highest Achievement in Chemical Engineering. He received this year’s chemical engineering department scholarship, and was also selected for “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.” . . . Ryan J. Wheeler has been appointed director of the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology at Phillips Academy in Andover. He joins the museum after serving seven years as Florida’s state archeologist. Wheeler is the eighth director of the 111-year-old museum, one of the nation’s major repositories of Native American archaeological collections. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in anthropology. He lives in Medford with his wife and son.