HELENA — Dozens of people gathered inside Headwaters Crafthouse on Tuesday for a watch party in support of Paralympian and Montana native Katie Verderber.
But the Helena community’s support for Verderber wasn’t limited to Tuesday evening. After Verderber’s selection to Team USA for mixed team wheelchair curling in November, Verderber’s employer, Silverman Law Office, partnered with Exchange Club of Helena to raise the money needed to help install power-assist devices on the fronts of Team USA’s wheelchairs.
Watch the video here:
“She’s an employee of ours, and we like to support our employees,” said Jesse Chaney, a spokesperson for Silverman and a coworker of Verderber. “We’re big on camaraderie among our staff, and we like to help each other out in any way that we can. And she let us know that there was a need, and we were happy to help with that.”
Silverman contributed $2,500 for the installation of the motorized devices on the wheelchairs. The Exchange Club of Helena contributed the other $1,000 needed.
“We’re really excited about today,” said Kristin Chaney, Exchange Club of Helena vice president. “I think one of the greatest parts about the Exchange Club of Helena is that it’s made up of a bunch of people who just want to give back to the community. And so, to have the community come together to support Katie is really amazing.”
In total, Silverman and the Exchange Club raised $3,500. Their donation to Team USA was facilitated by Helena’s Last Chance Curling Club, of which Verderber is a member.
Last Chance Curling has raised an additional $4,000 to help offset Verderber’s travel costs as she trained for the Paralympics. Much of that total comes from merchandise sales.
“Oh, it’s awesome,” said Kelly McDermott, Last Chance Curling board member. “It’s always exciting to watch people in a sport that you love play. But when you actually know them and can say, ‘I’ve curled against her before,’ it’s so exciting. And to see Montana represented, to see Last Chance Curling Club represented, it’s really great.”
Verderber is a medically-retired U.S. Army veteran who, in the span of just two years, went from finding out she’d be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life to learning she’d been selected to represent Team USA.
From TeamUSA:
Katie Verderber was raised in Valier, Montana. Verderber was a Judge Advocate General (JAG) in the United States Army and deployed to Afghanistan in 2019. After she was medically retired from the Army, due to a back injury she suffered in Afghanistan that caused permanent damage to her spine, she returned home to Montana, where she is a practicing attorney focused on business and contract disputes, real estate matters, and probates.
Verderber took up wheelchair curling in 2024 and the following year was named to the U.S. Paralympic Team for the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Verderber said after making the team: “It’s hard to believe I found out two years ago I would be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life to learning I’m going to be a Paralympian."
“It’s inspiring to me. I never would’ve thought I could have a platform and help other people and do this myself,” said Verderber. “It’s incredible. (It’s) been a long two years, and we’re just getting started.”
But above all, Verderber said she hopes her story inspires other wheelchair users and people with disabilities to keep pressing forward.
Team USA continues round robin play Wednesday morning against Korea.
