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Today’s show opened with Tillie O’Neal-Kyles who came to tell us all about her organization, Every Woman Works, Inc., that helps women who have barriers against employment become self-sufficient. We then closed with a great conversation with Casey Smith and Ben Blumenthal telling us about JCS Sports, a facility with the aim to help their players go to the next level in their careers by helping them to develop both physically and mentally.

Tillie O’Neal-Kyles/Every Woman Works

Every Woman Works is a nominee for Atlanta’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For™

Tillie O’Neal-Kyles is making it her life’s mission to overcome the impossible by making a difference in the lives of women and children in our community, but she inspires others near and far to take up the cause as well Her sound leadership and infectious personality can only be described as miraculous; she has become an unstoppable force of change. As the founder and CEO of Every Woman Works, Inc. (EWW), she has used her deep spiritual commitment to ensure women are equipped with the skills necessary to work and improve their situation. Her mission is to “Help Women Move from Dependency to Self-sufficiency” and she does this through Every Woman Works, Inc.

In 2004, Tillie formed Every Woman Works, Inc. (EWW) in order to meet this need. In addition to providing job training and business attire for each graduate, she assists women with mentorship, health screenings, and life skills management. Since the first group of women successfully completed EWW’s eight-week program, over 800 women have participated in the program and the lives of 2,400 children have been positively impacted. Statistics and the many congratulatory letters evidence of Tillie’s success; 90% graduates from the program and 85% of the students eventually find employment and more than 73% of then maintain employment.

EWW Learning Center is a therapeutic and supportive environment where women who are homeless, recovering from alcohol and drug dependency, in transition from the penal system, recovering from domestic violence, surviving the storms of life or  in poverty have the opportunity to develop solid, transferable work skills. This strengthens their sense of self-confidence and helps them to achieve financial independency. Miss. Tillie is a proponent of “give a woman a fish you feed her for a day; teach a woman to fish you feed her for a lifetime”.

Tillie received her Masters Certificates in: Creating High Performance Teams, Quality Improvement Teams, EEOC/AA, Executive Coaching, and Leadership from the AT&T School of Business. She received her BA in Business Administration from Golden Gate University, San Francisco, CA. She encompasses more than 35 years in the corporate realm, 15 in engineering and over 20 years in adult education/training. In 1996, Tillie formed her own training and consulting firm—Learning Options. Over the next six years, she continued to enhance the effectiveness of multiple national and international workers. Among her many clients include KSKOM Power  and Light Company in South Africa, a microcosm of the desired transformation in the country. Tillie’s international work includes Executive Atlanta Business Radio  Coaching, Leadership, teaching “Active Communication” to hundreds in Cape Town, South Africa, and the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” to over 2,000 people at a sales conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. Tillie has also shared her skills and knowledge with adult learners in Tanzania and England.

Casey Smith/JCS Sports

Casey Smith is the owner and head instructor at JCS Sports. Casey grew up in the Marietta area and played high school ball at McEachern where he graduated in 2002. He then went on to play college ball at Erskine College. In his 3 years at Erskine Casey set numerous single season and career offensive records including RBI’s, Home Runs, and Doubles and was named the 2005 CVAC, South Atlantic Region, and NCAA DII National Player of the Year. After a record setting junior year, in which he hit .448 with 18 hr, 28 2b, and 83 rbi, Casey was selected in the 9th round of the 2005 major league draft by the San Diego Padres. He spent 2 1/2 years with the Padres and 2 years in the Frontier League with several different teams. He also returned to Erskine and finished his last year of school, graduating with a degree in Sports Management. Casey has been instructing for 6 years and works with players of all ages. He is available for hitting, pitching, and defensive instruction.

Ben Blumenthal/JCS Sports

Ben Blumenthal is a catching and hitting instructor at JCS Sports. Ben finished his college career at Erskine College where he was a First Team All Conference Catcher hitting .400 with 13 home runs and driving in 55 runs. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 21st round out of Erskine College in 2005. Ben played with the Reds for two years and then signed with the New York Yankees. In 2007 he led the Gulf Coast Yankees to a League Championship hitting .361 and handling a very young pitching staff. He was called up to Major League Spring Training in 2008 and 2009 where he played on the same field as Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Ben also worked with Hall of Famers such as Yogi Berra and Reggie Jackson. He also had the privilege of catching superstars such as Roger Clemens, C.C. Sabathia, and Andy Pettite. Ben has been instructing for 5 years and is available for hitting, pitching, and catching instruction