Rodney King Citizen Spotlight Feature Image

Citizen Spotlight: Rodney King

Each week we select a citizen (or citizens) from Excelsior Springs and highlight the positive impact they are having on our community. Click here to nominate someone for the Citizen Spotlight!

Rodney King, Excelsior Springs, MO

Making a positive impact in the community doesn’t mean you live a perfect life. Rodney King has certainly had his share of ups and downs. King, a 56-year-old recovering addict, has lived in Excelsior Springs almost all of his life. In 2015 he and more than 20 other people were arrested on drug charges. “I told myself when I went to prison it was time to turn it around and time to start doing for the community instead of taking from the community,” said King. Released in December 2020, at the peak of the COVID-19 restrictions, it was difficult for King to reacclimate. He spent the first few nights in a motel and then with a cousin until he could get his feet back on the ground. In 2021 he found an apartment here in Excelsior Springs and began to look for ways to give back. 

Seeking support in his mission to stay sober and to give back, he found the local Narcotics Anonymous (NA) group that was in need of its own help. He volunteered to lead the NA program and according to his nominator, he has revived the program and raised the numbers of addicts attending meetings from 6 to 46 in just 3 months. “There are a lot of people in the group who were running with me when I was on the bad side of things who are now running with me on the good side,” said King. King has worked this past year to arrange a Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a sober New Year’s Eve, as well as many birthdays, and celebrations for those who have remained sober. 

Outside of his duties as the NA program coordinator, King also serves as an on-call volunteer for the Good Samaritan Center, where he encourages those who attend the group meetings to volunteer and give back as well. King said that many of the NA members volunteer their time at the Good Samaritan Center, helping to unload the food trucks or working to help organize the pantry. He feels good about helping others and staying sober, “I have made more progress and bettered myself in these past few years than in my previous 30 years,” he added.

When asked if there was anything he’d like to share with the community, King said he was concerned with the lack of options for people looking for help. “Eventually I’d love to see some sort of outpatient treatment program or sober living facility in Excelsior. There’s really no outreach here other than the NA meetings, everything is either just north of the river or in Kansas City,” he said. King says he’s going to continue his pursuit of helping others here in Excelsior Springs and he is currently working to help get an NA group started in Richmond. 

Narcotics Anonymous of Excelsior Springs meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 7:00 PM in the Great Hall of the Good Samaritan Center located at 108 S Thompson Ave. For more information, you can contact the Good Samaritan Center, (816) 630-2718. 

If you or someone you know needs immediate help with substance abuse contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

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