TAMAQUA, Pa. — Fitness enthusiasts of all ages are working out together in Schuylkill County in a space that wasn't always a fitness center.
When Sheila Davison-Bray and her sister first purchased the Perla building in downtown Tamaqua, little did she know they would take the rooms left behind from an old movie theatre and transform them into the Perla Power Fitness Center.
She decided to fill the extra storage space with gym equipment.
"There are gyms, but there weren't any gyms that attracted the different age groups that we were looking to do," said Davison-Bray, the CEO of CARES, a community nonprofit providing social services in the Tamaqua area.
"Growing up in Tamaqua, we didn't have any indoor facilities, so to come and see this space be utilized by the youth, it's very important," said Lance Williams, the marketing director of CARES.
The organization is also thinking of older residents who are trying to stay active.
"Many seniors have told me that they have gone backwards, that they have declined, their health has declined since they weren't working out regularly," Davison-Bray said.
The people who run the fitness center say their goal was to fill the vacant rooms in the Perla Building with a variety of ways to work out, from lifting weights to playing basketball.
"There's just a lot of options, and that's what we want for people, to give them options rather than a treadmill or a bicycle," said Brian Turner, Perla Power's manager.
They believe that a community that dances together or sweats together sticks together.
"We're a big family. They're amazing with how supportive they are. I'm always here for them, and I truly love teaching all of these people," said instructor Stefanie Gensure.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel.