DADS MOVE

About Dads MOVE

Dads MOVE was established in Washington State in 2011 to serve fathers raising children with behavioral health needs.

Our Vision

Dads MOVE seeks to provide every parent/caregiver (especially dads) with the tools, support, and training needed to be fully engaged in the recovery of their children.

Our Mission

Dads MOVE’s Mission is to strengthen the father's role in raising children with behavioral health needs through education, peer support, and advocacy

Our Project

Dads MOVE is seeking to open a full-service Equestrian Center with the goal of serving the therapy needs of Special Needs Children. We also are looking to work with selected incarcerated parents to train, educate, and assist in the operation of the equestrian center.

We seek to train parents on how to deal with their special needs children. The special needs children get the equine therapy they need with the animals by building relationships and learning to care for the animals. We will rescue animals in the area and use the rescued animals which are trainable for the therapy and those which are not trainable, we will find a suitable home for them. The center would provide a substantial amount of food for the bigger animals. The parents and children would have the opportunity to work in the gardens to help with crop growth for food which would build relationships between parent and child. The parent and child would have the opportunity to spend nights to help with therapy as a family. This would provide jobs and services for the community which would be run by donations and grants, volunteers, and peer counselors.

Dads MOVE Equestrian Center is located 27 miles outside of Omak Washington in the Eastern slopes of the North Cascade Mountain Range on donated land.

The parents will have the option of becoming Dads MOVE employees at the Equestrian center and Dads MOVE presenters and trainers.

Incarcerated parents, as well as identified parents with special needs children can participate in equine therapy.
These parents can stay at the facility and help take care of the animals and property until they are transitioned back to their families. This will allow for more successful transitions back to their communities and families.
We will give tools to parents on how to deal with their special needs children.
These special needs children get the equine therapy required.
The special needs children build relationships with the animals and learn to care for the animals.
The Equine Center will rescue animals in the area and use the rescued animals that are trainable for the therapy and ones which are not find suitable home for them.
The center would provide a substantial amount of the food for the bigger animals.
The parents and children would have the opportunity to work in the gardens to help with crop growth for food for the Equine Center.
With Parents and children working together in the gardens would build relationships between parent and child.

Dads MOVE currently employs two full-time employees and seven part-time employees. We are working on recruiting more volunteers to help with this project.

Dads MOVE and our partners will provide high-quality, relevant, and varied services and opportunities to keep and enhance the quality of life for our citizens with special needs and other challenges. Engaging them to become as self-sufficient and independent to every extent possible while cultivating cooperative relationships with their community.

Short Term:

Year one: set up horse coral that we already have, begin therapy, start training parents, and implement marketing strategies for the center. Add infrastructure to include stables for more animals and housing for overnight stays. Apply for grants to aid the center. Continue to meet with potential partners/funders for sustainable funding.