ROBERTSDALE, Alabama -- Michael Hamm knows all about the dangers of drug abuse.

After serving a tour of duty in Vietnam, he said, he came back “to a confused country and I was a confused young man.”

Looking to make his mark on the world in the securities industry, he became certified in stocks and bonds and would end up buying a hotel. Eventually, he would acquire seven Ramada Inns and a Howard Johnson’s.

“But I acquired another habit,” he said. “I began taking recreational drugs, mainly marijuana and cocaine.”

His habits would end up costing him everything, he said. He would eventually get back on top, but again his addiction would catch up with him, again costing him everything he owned.

“When I got out of jail the second time, I was approached by a man with a money-making proposition,” he said, “flying exotic plants from Central and South America into the United States.”

Those exotic plants ended up being marijuana and cocaine.

His first job was flying 1,000 pounds of marijuana into Central America. From there he made several trips into Central and South America, running marijuana and cocaine. He also began running guns and ammunition into Central America.

Again, it would catch up to him. After coming back from a run, he would learn that his partner and his partner’s two sons had been arrested, turning him over to police in exchange for information.

In July of 1984, Hamm was sentenced to 45 years to life in prison to be served in the Florida State Prison System.

“When they slammed those doors shut, I didn’t know if I would ever see the free world again,” he said.

Yes, Hamm knows all about the dangers of drugs. But, he said, God had a different plan for his life.

Shortly after his incarceration, he became born again.

“You want to know what God can do, all you have to do is look in the Bible,” he said. “In the 16th chapter of Acts, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison, but were released by the grace of God. The same thing happened to me, but this time he did it with a computer.”

One day, he said, he was called up to the warden’s office.

“They had all my paperwork there and told me I was being released,” he said. “I said, ‘how can this be? I was supposed to serve a mandatory sentence.’”

But it was true and after only 21 months in prison, Hamm walked out a free man.

“They gave me a bus ticket back to the county I was busted in and a hundred dollar bill,” he said. “What was I supposed to do when that ran out? I honestly had no idea.”

But thanks to the help of men from the Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., Hamm said, he was able to get back on his feet.

“They took me in and mentored me,” he said. “They helped me with housing, clothes, food and employment and helped me get back on my feet.”

Hamm would eventually become an ordained minister and began working with Champions for Life Ministries, founded by former Cleveland Browns football player Bill Glass.

“We would go on prison crusades, visiting 10 to 12 prisons in a weekend,” he said. “At one time I was speaking at 100 to 150 prisons per year.”

Through those ministries, Hamm said, God spoke to him, asking him to reach out to people just like him.

“Ninety percent of all crimes are drug related,” he said. “God told me he wanted me to start a program to address those issues.”

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Hamm said, 27 million youth in America today are growing up without a father; 86 percent of man and women in prison come from fatherless homes.

“Our motto is ‘Rescuing a Fatherless Generation,’ he said. “We want to provide a safe environment for our youth. We want to teach these boys how to grow up to be men and teach men coming out of prison how to be fathers to their children.”

Hamm combined that need with his love of horses and thus the Cross Roads Ranch was born.

“Horses have always been good therapy for me and we use equine therapy to reach people on the ranch,” he said.

Hamm started with a 52-acre ranch in Henry County, taking men from prison into a 52-week residential program, teaching life skills in a faith-based environment.

After operating the program in Henry County for about four years, Hamm was led to Baldwin County, and through the help of former Summerdale Police Chief Eddie Ingram, who has served on his Board of Directors, he was able to acquire 11 acres of land near Elberta, and has worked closely with the Elberta Police Department to try and build the program.

“Right now we’re renting the property and hope to eventually buy property there or somewhere else in order to start a full program,” he said.

In the meantime, the Ranch has begun its “Little Wranglers” program, working with at-risk youth, physically and mentally challenged boys and girls of all ages, primarily ranging from 8 to 18, he said.

“Right now we have one volunteer, but we are looking for more,” he said. “The more volunteers we have, the more children we will be able to work with. We are not looking to be a church, but we are looking to support churches in whatever way we can.”

In an effort to get the program kick-started in Baldwin County, the 1st Annual Cross Roads Ranch Benefit Rodeo will be held Friday and Saturday, May 24 and 25 at the Baldwin County Fairgrounds Arena in Robertsdale.

The event is sanctioned by the Professional Cowboys Association and will be produced by Bo Campbell Rodeo Productions.

It will include all major rodeo events, Hamm said, including calf roping, team roping, barrel racing, bronco busting and bull riding. There will also be activities for children between events, he said.

“Through our ministry we are not looking for a handout,” he said. “The men who come through our program work for wages and whatever wages they earn go back to the ranch. In exchange they are provided with a home and care at no cost to them. The same way, in exchange for a donation, we are looking to provide entertainment for the people.”

Gates open at 6 p.m. both nights with the rodeo set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults with children under 8 admitted free when accompanied by a parent.

For tickets, to learn more about the ranch or how to donate, contact Hamm at 334-695-3716 or visit CrossRoadsRanches.com.

Through the Cross Roads Ranch, Hamm said, he wants to provide an example, just like the cowboys of old, like John Wayne, Roy Rodgers and Hop-a-long Cassidy.

“They all had a message that was based in faith and that’s what we want to do here,” he said.

Hamm also wants to provide an example for the ultimate faith-based cowboy, he said.

“Jesus was a cowboy, too, didn’t you know that?” he said. “The Bible says that Jesus is going to come back riding on a white horse. This is just my way of getting ready for him.”