There was a time when young Rodney Allan Atkins was bounced from one home to another. Born on March 28, 1969 in Knoxville, Tennessee, Rodney was given up for adoption as an infant. He was taken in at the Holston Methodist Home for Children in Greeneville, Tennessee. Two couples returned him to the place because he was so sick. A third couple, Margaret and Allan Atkins, refused to give up although his ailments worsened.