Donna F. McKinley

Donna F. McKinley

Youth Culture Specialist

Certified Life Coach

Co-Founder, OutSpoken

This Speaker is given a 9/10 rating. Rate Speakers Here.

Donna Funderburke-McKinley, Certified Christian Life Coach has dedicated the past 30 years to promoting public awareness and parental education on issues involving child safety, parenting and youth culture.

Youth Culture: Frequently, Donna will be heard sharing her expertise in a variety of seminars, church services and workshops and on monthly WZZK and The Eagle radio news programs as well as seen weekly on ABC 33/40 Talk of Alabama.  Donna uses humor as she shares on the serious subjects of youth culture, parenting, drug issues, Internet dangers,  teen sex, rebellion and parenting.

Motivational: Disabled, Bankrupt, and widowed, Donna’s motivational testimony of how God took her from rags to riches has inspired many to stand firm and allow God to renew their strength. Understanding the struggles of single parenting, Donna encourage parents to unite (even in divorced) for their children and allows parents to see how their lifestyle teaches their children values and morals.

Life Coach: Donna assists individuals, families and couples as they discover where they are, where they want to go and empower them to take the steps needed to find the life God intends for them. Once the goal has been identified, Donna coaches and encourages until the goal is met.

Donna’s past work with children include volunteering in the juvenile probation system, head house parent for autistic and schizophrenic children (Glenwood Mental Health),  foster parent with Alabama Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries,  and youth minister. She is past recipient of the “National Hometown Hero Award” given by Dr. James Dobson’s Focus on the Family Ministry. Donna has also been recognized by the National Physicians Center with its “Service to the Family Award,”  and  Shepherd’s Supply’s “Service to the Community Award.” In 2007 and 2008, Donna received a “Certificate of Appreciation” from the Vestavia Hills Board of Education for her work with Vestavia Hills High School parents and administrators.  For the past  five years Donna has worked at Safe Harbor Ministries as Resource and Education Director and Family Refuge Manager.

Donna has assisted in the enactment of several important pieces of child safety legislation in Alabama, including the Community Notification Law and the Teacher Background Check Law. Donna is responsible for bringing the dangers of Salvia Divinorum use and abuse by local teenagers to the attention of law enforcement and the Alabama Legislature.  She has also cooperated with state and federal law enforcement officials across the country in undercover operations to investigate and prosecute individuals who use the Internet to prey upon young people.

Donna’s contributions to the community have been widely reported in the press. Her work was featured in an MSNBC featured-spot entitled, “Special Report: Cyber Street Walkers.” Donna also appeared in “World Wide Web of Deceit,” an educational video on Internet predators and pornography. She has also been featured in an Investigative Report in The Washington Post’s Insight Magazine as well as appearing on local news and national talk shows throughout her distinguished years of service.  Donna is currently working a book about her Internet undercover work. She is also working on a drug and sex abuse safety coloring book for children, “Color Me Safe.”

November 2008

Excerpt from a Newspaper Article:

I was amazed!

After having written about the Real Talk series in the Chatterbox, I finally decided to actually hit a meeting. Last Sunday found me driving out to Quail Creek to listen to a speaker with who planned to present a two and a half hour symposium on parenting, adolescents, drugs, sex, rock and roll, and the list goes on and on.

After having spent the weekend in Auburn with a car load of kids, I really needed a nap and was convinced that if she held my attention for even a minute, she would be Queen Bee in my book for life. So yes, I admit a fair bit of skepticism.

I walked in to the chapel at Quail Creek and took my place. Within 2 minutes, the speaker had me spellbound and I was both eager and alert for the full two and a half hours, grabbed all the pamphlets I could carry on my way out, and wrote the speaker when I got home.

It was amazing! What I learned about teens, what they face, what’s out there, and the consequences of their actions (and mine as a parent) both horrified me and blew me away. Thankfully, Mrs. McKinley had a sense of humor about her in regard to her approach , yet not her subject matter because had she not, I would have left in a straight jacket from hysteria.

I urge you as parents, friends, and educators to log on to www.thesafeharbor.org and see what’s out there destroying kids and families. Should your group or organization ever need a speaker, look no further. This is that place where the rubber meets the road and I beg of you, become informed.

I am not the perfect parent and I by far do not have perfect sons. At least now I hope I am better prepared to stand up and be the parent I need to be before it’s too late.
- Wendy Lang