The Candler Clays Charity Shoot and Auction is in its 21st year and its growth and impact shows no signs of slowing down. The enduring popularity of this event is good news for cancer patients and their families across the region, as all funds go to St. Joseph’s/Candler Foundations’ Advancements in Cancer Care initiatives in Savannah, Bluffton, Hilton Head and surrounding regions.

Candler Clays is an annual two-day event combining a charity auction of items donated by local merchants and a clay shooting competition at the Forest City Gun Club. Since its inception two decades ago, the Clays event has raised $2.17 million for the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion at St. Joseph’s/Candler.

"We are so grateful for our loyal sporting clays enthusiasts, who crushed all of our previous fundraising records with more than $212,000 raised this year,” said Vernice Rackett, Executive Director of the St. Joseph’s/Candler Foundations. “Our participants and our sponsors were so driven to make this event a success, and all their hard work will benefit cancer patients.”

This year’s Candler Clays had many generous sponsors including the returning presenting sponsor JE Dunn Construction, the Mingledorff Family as platinum sponsor and Batson Associates as gold sponsor. The event was co-chaired by Matt Albert and Lori Pitt.

Each year the event honors a survivor or memorializes someone who died of cancer. This year, the honoree was cancer survivor Richard D. Moore, who has been a strong supporter of St. Joseph’s/Candler’s mission for many years. In 1995, he was elected to the Board of Trustees of Candler Hospital and went on to serve 14 years on the newly formed St. Joseph’s/Candler Board of Trustees in 1997. Mr. Moore was reappointed to the board in 2011 and currently helps to steer the Finance and Investment Committees.

Prizes were presented to the top male and female shooter as well as to the top youths, the 1st and 2nd place teams and Lewis Class C & B:

• High Male: Michael Clark – 50
• High Female: Landyn Fries – 47
• Male Youth: Andrew Nicholson – 47
• Female Youth: McKenzie Bacot – 42

• 1st place team: Mr. and Mrs. Cale Blocker, represented by Michael Clark, Landyn Fries, Donnie Guston and Jeremy Summerell
• 2nd place: Howard Morrison, represented by Mills Hollis, TJ Hollis, Jeff Kinlaw and Barrett Schaaf
• Lewis B: Lowcountry Annie Oakley’s
• Lewis C: South State Bank

St. Joseph’s/Candler would like to thank and recognize the 2023 Candler Clays Committee:

• Matt Albert, Committee Co-Chair
• Lori Pitt, Committee Co-Chair
• Michael Bone
• Emily Cameron
• Christopher Cay
• Ashley DuBois
• Sam Lewis
• Ellie McKenzie
• Dennis Reed
• Hal Richards