Hands of Hope Grant Awarded to Adaptive Performance Center
June 2026
Article by Jessica Renstrom
Photo by Keely Zimmermann
Western Security Bank has announced its most recent Hands of Hope grant award recipient: Adaptive Performance Center (APC). Each quarter, Western Security Bank honors an outstanding nonprofit that’s making a real difference in our community, and Adaptive Performance Center is doing just that.
Self-proclaimed as “a gym with community at its core,” Adaptive Performance Center was co-founded by Karen Pearson and Mitch Crouse in 2020 as the first veterans-exclusive gym in the nation with the goal of reducing the tragic rates of veteran suicide.
Veterans experience trauma in ways that nonveterans are often unable to fully understand, and due to these experiences, veterans are at a higher risk of suicide. By addressing both the physical and mental needs of local veterans, APC is tackling many of the risk factors that contribute to their increased suicide risk. Specifically, providing a community where veterans can be known by their first names, experience all the benefits of physical fitness, and connect with other veterans who truly “get it,” has a profound impact on the members’ lives.
Since their initial opening in 2020, Adaptive Performance Center has grown to two locations in Billings and Helena, and continues to expand the available services to meet the needs of the veteran members. This growth includes hiring an occupational therapist to help veterans remain in their own homes as long as possible, as well as a veteran liaison who helps facilitate benefits, paperwork, phone calls, and more on veterans’ behalf.
The Hands of Hope grant funds will be used for primarily two initiatives: to grow the scholarship fund for memberships (Membership rates are low at $19.95/month; however, no veteran is turned away due to the inability to pay) and to help cover costs for homeless veterans during their transition from homelessness to finding housing. While APC collaborates closely with community partners to support veterans identified as homeless, APC wants to be prepared to step in and provide assistance when those resources are exhausted.
Originally printed in the June 2026 issue of Simply Local Magazine
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