Dads of Down syndrome, DODs, was born out from a personal journey of love, surprise, and discovery.

I quickly felt the lack of community specifically for fathers of a child with Down syndrome when my son, Levi was born at 9lbs, 10 toes and an extra 21st chromosome.

I was thrilled to see and meet other families when my wife and I joined this unfamiliar community, but it was clear that there wasn’t a unique space for dads. I was craving a space for dads to talk about their parenting journey, what challenges they were facing, what milestones they were celebrating and how they were best supporting their kiddos.

DODs was built out of my belief that I am a better dad, advocate and cheerleader for Levi when I can learn from other dads. So, I asked around and found four other dads to grab a beer. The honesty, pride, celebration, understanding and connection was unlike any other. I asked the group if we should do this again sometime to which they all responded with, how about next month?

Since February of 2024, Twin Cities DODs has hosted monthly events for groups as large as 25 dads and continues to grow month after month.

-Jacob Esser

Founder