Eliza Donahue Shares her Family's Adoption Journey on Living Your Best Life

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes during the month of December as we hear stories of faith that will "empower, inspire, and motivate you to live your best life". Hear powerful individuals with diverse backgrounds from around the country share how their faith have shaped their lives as well others.

Tune in as we hear how they have soared and taken others with them. We will also hear how they have overcome personal struggles that affected their leadership and personal lives. Living Your Best Life can be heard every Saturday on 760 AM in the Nashville-Middle Tennessee region and on worldwide on Ustream.TV from 9-10AM CST.

On Saturday, December 17, 2011, we will hear eleven year old Eliza Donahue and her journey to help adopt a sibling from Haiti. Hear how she was spiritually impacted and her family lives altered by the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010. She will share how she helped family friends Mike and Missy Wilson who soon to be adopted daughter Tia was in an orphanage the day of the earthquake. Without being asked, Eliza counted all her money and gave it to the Wilsons to help them bring Tia home. Her decision to give her all to help the Wilsons put Eliza on the path to travel to Haiti herself. This powerful story from an eleven year old will leave you empowered, inspired, and motivated to look deeply within our hearts and beyond our borders to find a calling in life.

More about Eliza Donahue's Journey

The months following the earthquake, after Tia and her sister, Naika, were safely in the U.S., Eliza began asking to go to Haiti herself. She wanted to see Haiti in person and meet the children from the Creche run by Dr. Joseph Bernard and New Life Link. Because of the Wilson family, Eliza had grown to love the children of Haiti deeply even though she had not been to the orphanage. She persistently talked to her parents about going to Haiti. For Christmas, instead of asking for presents typical of tweens, Eliza asked to go to Haiti. At that point, her parents knew this was not a phase; their daughter was determined to go to Haiti.

Eliza received a certificate for Christmas giving her the opportunity to go to Haiti, but she would have to raise the funds. Without hesitation, Eliza began to raise funds through a letter writing campaign themed, "I have a Heart for Haiti". She raised the necessary funds through generous donations from friends and family. In July of 2011, Eliza and her mom, Laura, traveled to Haiti.

To say that the experience changed both of them would be a huge understatement. It was transforming; heart, mind and soul! Eliza was so touched by the children and people of Haiti that she was asking to adopt a sibling even before leaving Haiti.

Upon returning from Haiti, Eliza (and Mom) gathered the family and asked everyone to consider adopting from Haiti. Because of the family's experience with Mike and Missy Wilson, Haiti held a close place in each person's heart even though not everyone had traveled there. After a month of praying, discussing and praying some more, the family all agreed that the Lord was calling them to adopt.

Isaiah prophesied that "a little child will lead them"... and so Eliza has listened to the voice of the Lord and has led her family on the journey of adoption.

To read more about the family's journey and to help contribute to their adoption click Here

Eliza is the youngest of four. Her older siblings are Baker, 16, and 13 year old twins, Brennan and Cara.

Back to School advice for MBA Seekers, Single Moms, and Large Families

Genma Holmes and Living Your Best Life Radio will share that going back to school includes a growing segment of the population who have not seen a classroom in a few seasons. Many are considering going back to school for their first, second, or third degree. In this economy, having an edge on other job applicants includes being prepared with work experience and a secondary education.

Also hear from moms who believe going back to school means being organized, prayed up, and not afraid to ask (or hire) help. You wouldn't want to miss this exciting show that is guaranteed to empower, inspire, and motivate you to live your best life!

On 880AM in the Nashville Market on Saturday from 10am-12 CST and Streaming Live on Ustream.TV August 20, 201

Getting Your MBA Maybe The Best Investment in This Economy


Professor of Accounting and Director of Owen Entrepreneurship Center at Vanderbilt, Germain Boer will share about transforming students into self-driven entrepreneurs. Hear about many of his students who have become dynamic business leaders with out of the box thinking.

More about...Dr. Germain Boer





Preparing Your Family For A Successful School Year

Hear successful super model, actress, and spokesperson Dawn Montgomery Greene share how she managed work life balance after returning to college full time while raising her son. Dawn completed her college goals and managed to pull off the wedding of her dreams during her last semester of school to Atlanta's super lawyer Reggie Greene.

Dawn has been featured in numerous magazines around the world. She was featured in Essence
And on Genmaspeaks Blog


Meet The Malone Quads of Georgia





Columbus, Georgia's Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Michael (Kelly Collier) Malone family of three grew by four in one day on August 20, 2007. Kelly delivered four beautiful boys who have become known as the Malone Quads. Hear how super mom along with dad raise five boys in a wonderful environment that Kelly calls "organized chaos" with a smile. Michael and Kelly will share how they manage to get their rambunctious brood of five out the door during the school year. We will learn "it takes a village" truly applies to this inspiring family!

Read more about the famous quads here... The Malone Quads and here

Not Just Bed Bugs: Pests Plague the Homeless Community

I am frequently asked about pest control by various members of my community. In church, at restaurants while eating, even at weddings, I have been asked bug questions without hesitation. Often, I nod and smile and give answers as if we are talking about the weather. Because I earn a living as a pest management professional, it comes with the job title. No one wants to live with bugs so I am not surprised by the urgency behind the inquiries. Recently, I had an encounter that caught me off guard.

One evening after stopping to pick up a few items for dinner, I noticed a woman standing by my truck as I was leaving the grocery store. She seemed a little nervous as I approached her and my vehicle. As I slowed my step to better sum up the situation, she looked up and asked hurriedly, “Hello, are you Mrs. Holmes?” I nodded slowly, wondering what was next. The young woman began to tell me she had seen me around town and wanted to know what do about the bug bites on her children, whom she pointed to in the car next to my truck.

Putting my bags away, I turned my attention to the beautiful girls staring back at me. As I started examining her babies very obvious bites, the mom began to tell me her story. She had been displaced by Nashville’s May floods and had to move into temporary housing several times in the last few months. “I am practically homeless,” she blurted out in despair. “I am living in a shelter that is running over with bugs. My kids are being eaten alive.” As a mother of three, my heart went out to her immediately. This mom was homeless because of circumstances beyond her control and she was facing a situation that happens in the homeless community often: infested living quarters.

Pest control issues plague the homeless. Bedbugs are all the rage on the nightly news of late, but contact any advocate for the homeless and pest control issues are discussed often. How do you battle pests like roaches, rodents, lice, spiders and mosquitoes in crowded conditions with limited resources? Often the pest control budget is limited by a “What can we get for the cheapest price?” mindset. That line of thinking plus a lack of education on preventive measures equals trouble for all parties involved.

I took the young mom aside and gave her an impromptu pest control lesson right on the spot. I had a few pest identification books on hand and let her browse through them to see if she recognized any of the bugs that were traumatizing her living space. She pointed out several. As I continued looking at her daughter legs riddled with bumps, my mommy genes took over. I took her and her crew inside the store to buy some anti-itch cream, several plastic storage bins, and a plastic encasement cover for her mattress, as well as large Ziploc bags and retail line of the EcoSmart pesticide products that I use in my business every day.

She left armed with a plan, safe chemicals, and a peace of mind. I must say no one had ever camped out at my truck to try to get pest control problems solved before, but my conversation the next day with the shelter manager where she was living was typical. “We are under contract and we’re trying to deal with it,” she said defensively. I was not asking about a contract; I was asking management: were they being proactive by educating the residents about steps to keep pests at a minimum? Using a pest control company is one step in addressing pests in the homeless community. But engaging members of the homeless community is the key component to controlling the problems. Education on preventive measures must be part their everyday routine at shelters.

The young mom and I stayed in contact for several weeks while she continued to look for bug-free housing for her family. The mom did not want anything other than a safe place to lay her head without bugs until she could find a permanent place to live.

Last month, she called me to share the good news that she found an apartment near her workplace. I could not miss the joy in her voice and told her I would stop by to see her new place. I bought her the best housewarming present I could give her: a year of pest control service. Her smiling face told me I picked the perfect gift!

To purchase EcoSmart Products go to www.ecosmart.com

Article first published as Not Just Bedbugs: Pests Plague the Homeless Community on Blogcritics.