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DIVINE ALTERNATIVES FOR DADS SERVICES
Over 25 years of
EXPERIENCE
“Our mission is to restore an absent father to their home, giving fathers
hope by walking in supportive community.”
OUR STORY
Marvin and Jeanett Charles started DADS in their living room in 1998, after years marked by Marvin's own childhood in foster care and gang life, and a shared struggle with addiction that cost them custody of several of their children. Facing termination of their parental rights, a CPS caseworker gave them 90 days to get sober, find housing, and find work — or lose their family for good. It was in that window that their transformation took hold, and they credit a renewed relationship with Jesus and their commitment to each other as the turning point that carried them back to their children.​
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Then they asked: how do we use what we learned the hard way to help someone else?
That question became DADS. Over 25 years later, it's still the foundation of everything we do.
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We listen first.
We meet fathers where they are.
We take practical steps that lead to real change.
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Today, DADS has served more than 6,000 fathers and touched the lives of over 13,500 children —
one father at a time.
Want to read more?
Marvin's book, Becoming DADS: A Mission to Restore Absent Fathers, chronicles his journey from absent father to founder — and the strategies born from it that still guide our work today.
OUR TEAM
Behind every father we serve is a team that's walked a similar road. Many of our staff came through the DADS program themselves — and now they're the ones showing up for the next father who walks through the door.
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Fathers served by DADS were estimated to have saved Washington State $2.3 million in one year through reduced TANF, SNAP, and Medicaid payments. When fathers are empowered to provide for their families, the ripple reaches far beyond one household.
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1 in 3 fathers reported a positive change in their child support status — meaningful progress for families collectively carrying over $817,000 in arrears.
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In 2000, DADS served 8 fathers. By 2009, that number had grown to 486 — 60x growth in under a decade, and we've kept growing since.
IN THE NEWS
Coverage of our work from local press.
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