January 3 - D.A.D.S.

In the spring of 2002, eight men met in a restaurant in Indianapolis, IN. Brought together by the notion that as the father of a child with Down syndrome, they could do more than just set up tables and cook hotdogs at the local Buddy Walks.


What they experienced at that first meeting was an excitement and energy that carries through to this day; the idea that as fathers, they could make a significant contribution to improve the lives of our children – and all individuals with Down syndrome – by working together. Those original eight men remain good friends, and have been joined by many new friends from all over the US and beyond; including Canada, Australia and the UK.   There are currently 45 D.A.D.S. Chapters in the US and abroad.


Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome, or D.A.D.S., is an organization of fathers of children who happen to have Down syndrome. D.A.D.S. hesitates to call themselves a “support group”, although they do, in many ways, support each other. They prefer to think of D.A.D.S. as an “action group.” You won’t find them in a church basement drinking warm coffee and whining about having children with Down syndrome. Instead you’ll find  D.A.D.S. out in the community coaching their kid’s sports teams, participating in their children’s IEPs, volunteering at local Down syndrome fundraising events, and even sponsoring fundraising events of their own.

Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome hosts regular meetings where members come together to share insights and experiences. Face it: there are certain responsibilities that generally fall on the shoulders of the father. Having a child with special needs often affects how we approach those responsibilities. D.A.D.S. invites expert speakers to discuss medical, educational, financial, social, and many other issues that affect the children’s lives. And of course, they share stories and experiences that are unique to fathers of children with Down syndrome. Your colleagues at the office may not understand your excitement when your 5 yr old makes “poopie” on the toilet for the first time, but other D.A.D.S. will, because we’ve all been there.

The original chapter in Indianapolis acts as the “de facto” National chapter, but all of the other chapters around the country operate autonomously. We help when and where we can, but each chapter runs itself as an independent organization. 

 

 
Get Involved:
 
Find a D.A.D.S. chapter near you, and if not, how you can start one!
 
Shop the D.A.D.S. online store.

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Source:  http://www.dadsnational.com/