See Cookies

(Continued from page 1) fuel the organization’s principles of goal setting, making decisions, money management, people skills and business ethics.

Girl Scouts started selling cookies door-to-door in 1928, and the tradition has been going strong ever since. This program is the largest girl-run business in the world. It’s an amazing opportunity for youngsters to learn entrepreneurial skills, work with a team and make a plan.

A portion of the money raised from each box goes back to the seller’s chapter. The chapter collectively makes decisions on how to spend the money. Some of the money goes to service projects that help the community, some goes to outdoor adventures for the troop, and some goes to enhancing weekly meetings.

ADVENTUREFULS is the newest cookie in the Girl Scout line. TROOP 4475 displays cookies for sale. From left to right: Evelyn Berger, Coco Scott, Olivia Lippman, Addison ChristiansenAdams, Rosie Davisson, Alice Killoran, Amelia Rodriguez, Sienna Light and Kalia McCarthy. Photo by Mako Scott Coco Scott, 12, of Hancock Park and Troop 4475, has been a Girl Scout and Thin Mint fan for six years. She is very excited to sell cookies this year because the money her troop raises goes toward a trip. Coco hopes to sell 100 boxes. Over the years, she’s learned different ways of selling cookies and good ways to advertise her product. Whatever your favorite flavor is, buy some this season knowing you are supporting girls, community and entrepreneurship for the next generation.

Tar Pits

(Continued from page 3) The iconic mammoth sculptures currently in the lake will be included in the new design, she added. Inside, visitors will be able to peek inside a glass-enclosed Fossil Lab to see ongoing discoveries and the extensive collections. There, animal images will be projected at night. Fossil remains of sabertooth cats, giant sloths, dire wolves and other Ice Age animals who walked the grounds here 10,000 to 50,000 years ago — before being pulled into the sticky tar below — will be featured in the new Exhibition Building. Shade will be offered at the existing outdoor classroom and fossil dig at Pit 91, where visitors will be able to see sticky asphalt oozing up from the ground below, while watching scientists work in real time. More shade is planned to welcome visitors at the entry plaza at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Curson Avenue, which also will feature an Ice Age-era Pleistocene Garden. A second entryway will be on Sixth Street for school groups. Native plantings that support local wildlife and birdwatching areas will be in the park. The rooftop café and Tar Bar will offer refreshments and views.

Gateway to the Ice Age “The site is a gateway to the Ice Age, and it is right on our doorstep,” said Lori BettisonVarga, president and director of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County (NHM). “It gives us a very good glimpse into the last global climate change episode. Understanding what happened back then — 10,000 to 50,000 years ago — is key to fi nding solutions in our own time,” she added. Dr. Luis Chiappe, NHM senior vice president of research and collections and architecture, said the site “is one of the best places in the world to study big questions in conservation science. Questions such as: ‘How will different plants and animals respond to climate change?’ … The answers … lie in the fossils from the tar pits. …

325 N. Larchmont Boulevard, #158 Los Angeles, California 90004 www.windsorsquare.org

157 N. Larchmont Boulevard

Happy New Year!

As our calendars turn, so do our thoughts — to all kinds of fresh beginnings. Before we embark upon our own personal resolutions, we would like to note a few new things that the year 2022 is ushering in to our Windsor Square neighborhood.

First, Windsor Square welcomes a new councilmember, Mitch O’Farrell. Due to recent redistricting, our neighborhood (formerly in Council District 4) has been merged into Hollywood’s Council District 13. We are now part of one of the most diverse districts in Los Angeles. Currently in his second term, Mr. O’Farrell has focused on environmental issues, public safety, historic preservation, combating homelessness and providing vaccines to underserved communities. To seek assistance with any local concerns, such as sidewalk repairs, traffic issues, or tree trimming, reach out to Windsor Square’s contact person in the councilmember’s office, Field Deputy George Hakopiants, at george.hakopiants@lacity.org. For further information on our new district and councilmember, go to cd13.lacity.org.

Larchmont Village has new faces working in a few new retail spaces on the block. Recent months have seen the opening of Great White, a casual café with another location in Venice. Rothy’s Shoes and Corridor NYC also have opened for business. A Hawaiian donut shop called Holey Grail, as well as Skin Laundry, a skin care salon, have been announced as the first tenants to be signed for the “Larchmont Mercantile” project (former Lipson Building) on the east side of the street. Opening dates and other new merchants for that redeveloped space have not yet been announced. Here’s one resolution we can all support: Let’s keep Larchmont vital by shopping and dining locally.

Recently, neighborhood residential real estate sales have set records. As houses change hands these days, construction sites dot our blocks. We’d like to remind any new owners that they are responsible for protecting and watering their street trees, even during lengthy remodeling projects. Water by hand, if the sprinkler systems are not operating, but do not neglect protecting the valuable resource of our tree canopy. We’d like to extend a welcome to any new neighbors and urge them to join the Windsor Square Association. The WSA is also happy to provide a free street tree where there is a space that is empty on the parkway in front of your home. Contact us at: windsorsquare.org/contact-us.

We wish all Windsor Square residents a happy and healthy 2022! TAR BAR will be a feature of the renovated museum’s rooftop terrace, as designed by architecture fi rm Weiss / Manfredi. “We want the tar pits to be a place of discovery … for people of all ages. We also want it to be a premiere training ground for graduate students … and others developing a degree in paleontology. But our ambitions are limited by the physical reality of the existing museum,” he added. Public comment on the master plan to Reimagine La Brea Tar Pits is set to start later this month.

Join GWNC Board & Committee Meetings on Zoom or Phone!

www.greaterwilshire.org

REGULAR MEETING SCHEDULE: Board of Directors

Second Wednesday of each month, 6:30 p.m.

Land Use Committee

Fourth Tuesday of each month, 6:30 p.m.

Outreach Committee

Third Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m.

Transportation Committee

Fourth Monday of odd-numbered months, 7:00p.m.

Environmental & Sustainability Committee

First Tuesday of even-numbered months, 7:00 p.m.

Quality of Life Committee

Fourth Wednesday of the 2nd month of each quarter, 7:00 p.m.

Resilience Committee

First Wednesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. OUTREACH MEETING NEW TIME THIRD TUESDAY OF THE MONTH 7:30PM

FINEJEWELRY 213-522-1575 D 7151BEVERLYBLVD

Bethany Atkins’ Fit4Mom helps mothers tap into their health

By Caroline Tracy

Mothers in greater Hancock Park who are looking for a healthy start to 2022 have a local option to consider. Bethany Atkins, franchise owner of Fit4Mom Larchmont, conducts all levels of fitness classes at Robert Burns Park on Van Ness and Beverly, and leads “stroller” walks through the surrounding neighborhood.

According to the Fit4Mom website, the nationwide company focuses on pre- and post-natal health, wellness and fitness for every stage of motherhood. This ethos resonated with Bethany as she was beginning her journey as a mother.

“I have a background in finance and worked on Wall Street, then I moved to Los Angeles and became a mom,” says Atkins. “I knew I didn’t want to go back to a 9-to-5 job, but was looking for something to fit into my new life. I became an instructor for Fit4Mom and liked it so much I decided to purchase a franchise.”

THE FIT4MOM LARCHMONT group and their little ones, led by Bethany Atkins (second from right).

Fitness was always a priority for Atkins, but becoming a mother made her realize the strong need for community.

“I didn’t have much of a community when I was still new to the area and had a baby daughter. I would see moms with strollers everywhere though, so I knew they were there — we just didn’t talk to one another.”

With Fit4Mom, Atkins was able to bring together mothers who, like herself, were looking to connect as well as get fit. During classes at the park, with babies in tow, conversations about sleep schedules and the neighborhood’s best pre-schools arise between strength training circuits. When classes end, play dates often commence in the sand. Atkins credits her business background with being able to offer an even more dynamic program for her moms; one that includes synergistic partnerships with pediatricians, lactation consultants and a pelvic floor specialist.

“I know how to teach exercise classes to all levels, but I don’t necessarily know everything about pelvic floor muscles, which is so specific,” explains Atkins. “I enjoy being able to plug people in with other types of services and practitioners that are relevant. There is a wealth of information out there to bring in.”

In these times, the importance of health, wellness and human connection cannot be overstated. Atkins agrees and shares that the pandemic forced her to pivot to virtual classes for a time.

“The benefit to virtual classes, which I still offer, is that I can reach more moms. But there is definitely a downside to going totally online. You miss that human connection. Some of the pandemic babies who are coming to my classes now had never seen other babies.”

Atkins is looking forward to 2022, which will present new mothers, new babies, new challenges, new opportunities and new needs for connection.

ROBERT BURNS PARK is the site of Fit4Mom in action.