The Sharon Weeks Scholarship Fund, created by the Annie Oakley’s of the Lowcountry in 2022, presented four recipients with scholarships on June 10, 2023 at the Forest City Gun Club during the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) Georgia State Championship.
The scholarship fund was established to honor the memory of Sharon Weeks, who bravely fought ovarian cancer for more than a decade before succumbing in November 2022. The fund is intended to recognize and support young women who are outstanding competitive shooters, accomplished students and exemplary members of their communities.
The inaugural recipients are Savannah Country Day School rising seniors Anna Loren Dekle and Ericka McKeever, Ava Cauley from the Brookwood School in Thomasville, Ga., and Kendall Warren from Southland Academy in Americus, Ga. Each recipient's school will receive a one-time award of $2000 to be used toward the students’ ongoing education and competitive shooting career.
Dekle is a member of the Hornet Clay Target team that won the 2022 Clay Target state championship and a member of the Forest City Juniors team that won national championships in 2021 and 2022. She’s a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the National Junior Honor Society who won the 2023 Biology Class Award of Merit as a junior.
McKeever carries a Grade Point Average higher than 95 and was also a member of the 2021 and 2022 Forest City Juniors team as well as the Hornet Clay Target team. She has claimed first place finishes at the Georgia Independent School Association state meet, the Kreighoff Masters Tournament and the Scholastic Clay Team Program Southeast Regional in both Trap and Skeet events.
Cauley graduated in 2023 and shoots for the Bridge Creek Clays in Moultrie, Ga. She plans to attend Auburn University in the Honors College and will shoot for Auburn’s club team. She finished with a Grade Point Average better than 4.0 and her decorated shooting career includes being named to the NSCA-SCTP All American Team in 2021, 2022 and 2023 as well as numerous individual titles in both Sporting Clays as well as Trap and Skeet.
Warren graduated from Southland with honors in 2023 after earning a Grade Point Average better than 95 for her academic career. She was captain of the school’s shotgun team and was awarded the Presidential Academic Scholarship by Southern Union State Community College.
The Sharon Weeks Scholarship Fund presented by the Annie Oakley’s of the Lowcountry is a 501(c)3 organization established to continue the legacy of Sharon Weeks, an accomplished competitive shooter who demonstrated strength, poise, tenacity and leadership during her battle with ovarian cancer. The young women being recognized exemplify the Sharon’s character in spirit through their competitive successes, work ethic and commitment to community.
