Channing McDowell credits his own career in law enforcement in part to his experience at Boys Ranch when he was a teenager.
“Obviously there were a lot of law enforcement officers around,” he said. “Seeing what they did for me really made me want to be a cop one day. Growing up the way I grew up and seeing what drugs did to my family put a bad taste in my mouth, and I wanted to do something about it.”
McDowell was raised by his great-grandmother, who brought him home from the hospital after his 16-year-old mother gave birth.
“My mom gave up all rights and signed them over to her,” he said. “She raised me until she got sick when I was 13 or 14. She had cancer and it obviously got to the point where she couldn’t take care of me and my two younger brothers.”
He has never known the identity of his biological father, and he has made little contact with his mother, who is presently incarcerated. Growing up in a very rural area in Lee County he didn’t do a lot of things that young people his age take for granted, so making the move to Boys Ranch was an eye opener. It was also the first time McDowell did not live in the same house as his brothers. They were placed in different cottages at the Boys Ranch, and both younger brothers eventually moved to Florida to live with the man who was married to his mother when he was born and whom he considers a stepfather.
“When we went to Boys Ranch, his plan was to eventually get custody of us. But because it was across state lines, it was a really drawn-out process,” said McDowell. “It took about two years for it all to come together. When it came time for us to go, I was a freshman in high school. I had already made friends and I saw the benefits that the Boys Ranch offered me if I stayed. So I chose to stay.”
Boys Ranch was a great learning experience for him. With young people in a fairly wide age range, it is imperative that a resident learn to get along with everyone. There is plenty of responsibility, but also plenty of fun.
“On weekends we never played video games even though we had game systems,” said McDowell. “We were always outside playing football, basketball, baseball. We even tried playing tennis, which ended up with us just hitting tennis balls at each other. But it was a good time. We had a good group of kids when I was there.”He also watched kids come and go at various times, which is commonplace for anyone who is at a youth home for any length of time.
“One thing I did learn when I was there was that, no matter how bad you think you have it, there is somebody else there who has had it worse,” he said. “You really need to count your blessings. I definitely saw that when I was there.”
The community’s involvement in Boys Ranch was very impressive to him. People came by throughout the year to cook lunch, play ball and just hang out with the young people.
“It was a lot of fun and you met a lot of people. I still talk to people I consider lifelong friends who I met there.”
He left the Boys Ranch shortly before graduating from high school because he had become close to a local family that welcomed him into their home. He played football in high school and also took part in archery with the 4-H club. One of his fellow archers was a close friend and he bonded with the entire family. His friend’s father worked for the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and helped McDowell get his start there as well.
“I was a couple of years out of high school and living on my own, but I thought you had to be 21 to do anything in law enforcement,” said McDowell. “He told me that wasn’t the case, so at 20 I put in my application and started my career there in the jail.”
Now eight years into his career, he works for the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office and as of late July was in the final stages of the hiring process to join the U.S. Marshals Service. He and his wife live in the Mitchell County town of Meigs with their three dogs. Boys Ranch continues to be a part of his life, and it always will be. “I tell everybody I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for the Boys Ranch.”