When you walk through the doors of Mary Jo Peckham Aquatic and Fitness Center, you don’t just see treadmills and weights. You see neighbors greeting each other by name. You hear laughter drifting from the pool. And you notice people of all ages moving at their own pace.
There's no conversation about membership fees and no pressure to look a certain way, just a welcoming space where people show up as they are and often leave changed in the best way.
Mary Jo Peckham Aquatic and Fitness Center is one of Precinct 4’s most well-used shared spaces, offering free access to gym equipment, a pool, and a variety of fitness classes. By removing financial barriers, the center makes it more attainable for residents to prioritize their health and well-being.
And that’s exactly what Leonard Milholland comes to do.
Almost every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning, Leonard can be found doing the same thing he’s done for years — working his way through the same set of eight fitness machines. On its own that might not seem out of the ordinary, but Leonard is 101 years old.
Leonard has been coming to Mary Jo Peckham since he was 75, building a routine that has helped keep him active and independent.
“I’m old and stiff,” Leonard says with a laugh. “But I’m not in bed. I’m not in a hospital. I’m not in a nursing home, and I blame it all on this gym.”
And he doesn’t keep up this routine alone. Leonard’s wife, Donna Milholland, also frequents the Precinct 4 center. She uses the pool as part of her rehabilitation from a stroke.
“My wife’s progress is what motivates me,” Leonard says. “She can now swim laps. The least I can do is show up to the gym.”
Their story is an example of what happens when health resources are accessible and designed for the entire community.
That sense of community is what caught the attention of another Mary Jo Peckham regular: Nance Amaral.
Nance was a stay-at-home mom who felt herself begin to slip under the weight of that role. Without even realizing, she found herself becoming more reliant on alcohol. But determined to find a solution, a therapist encouraged her to spend more time with others, so she decided to give Mary Jo Peckham a try.
What Nance didn’t know was that a place just two blocks from her home would become a turning point. The center offered not just a workout but a path toward healing through movement and belonging.
“I wasn’t a gym-goer,” Nance says. “Gym culture is intimidating, but something felt different here.”
And that difference, Nance says, is the people. It’s the staff who make the space feel welcoming and Leonard, who makes it feel like home.
at the center, she and Leonard began to cross paths more often. One day, Leonard offered to help Nance with her form, and that one friendly gesture led to an unexpected bond.
Casual greetings quickly turned into frequent conversations as Leonard began to share stories of his life and his experience in the Army during WWII.
“It was this gym that offered the space to break the ice,” Nance says. “And it wouldn't have happened anywhere else in the world.”
Nance, who was already sharing her sobriety journey on social media, recognized that Leonard had 101 treasured years of advice to share with the world, so she asked to share his story online. That initial video quickly went viral as viewers connected with Leonard's outlook, humor, and zeal for life.
To this day, tand friendly banter along the way.
“Leonard is like the grandfather they lost too early,” Nance says about their online viewers. “And he’s that for me too.”
But amidst the new attention on social media, the heart of Leonard and Nance’s friendship remains offline at Mary Jo Peckham, through shared workouts and stories from a life that spans more than a century.
“This little facility got me into a community,” Nace explains. “Before, I was living in a community, but I wasn’t a part of it.”
Whether it’s to heal or find connection, the center has something (or someone) for every resident who walks through its doors.
And when asked why they keep coming back, Leonard and Nance both say the same thing:
“It just feels like home.”