Lifelong Clarendon County residents Chris and Angela Weeks are on a mission to make a difference in their community. As the founders of Clarendon Elite Youth Sports, a nonprofit organization focused on developing young athletes, the Weeks family has built a program centered on leadership, sportsmanship, and respect both on and off the field.
“We are … dedicated to excellence and development of our youth on and off the field,” Chris Weeks explained. “Our organization teaches leadership skills, sportsmanship, and respect for the community and peers. Our motto is ‘Developing our youth for Next Level Greatness.’ We are here to help our youth develop themselves as individuals and learn how to face challenges or obstacles that may arise.”
Chris, a self-employed owner of Weeks Detail Express, and Angela, a Release Investigator with the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon, are no strangers to balancing a busy life. They are not only parents to five children but also run several small businesses, including A Kids Fun Tyme Affair and Weeks Elite Motions 360 Booth. Despite their personal commitments, their passion for their community and youth development shines through their work with Clarendon Elite.
When asked about the specific initiatives Clarendon Elite offers, Angela emphasized the program’s commitment to both academic achievement and athletic development. “We have developed a relationship with the district and parents that allows us to come up with a game plan to help our children succeed in the classroom. We practice two to three days a week, and all the work we put in on the practice field is displayed on Saturday mornings during our football tournaments for the community. We also offer tutoring free of charge for those in need.”
Education plays a significant role in the program, with people from local schools volunteering their time to support the young athletes. “Our organization has been fortunate enough to have faculty and staff members from the local school district that have volunteered their time to making sure that our athletes are excelling in the classroom as well as on the fields,” Chris added. “The goal is to make sure that each child succeeds in the classroom academically. We stress the importance of education.”
Clarendon Elite currently serves 84 children, with 71 of them being males between the ages of 6 and 12. To ensure academic success, the organization conducts surprise visits to schools. “We do pop-up visits on the regular to check in on our children to ensure that they are giving their fullest potential during the school day,” Angela said. “With this, our children don’t know when we will show up, so it encourages them to always do their best with academics and behavior.”
This commitment to academics has garnered positive feedback from teachers and parents alike. “Several teachers have reached out with positive feedback, including seeing tremendous improvement since December 2023,” Angela shared. “We’ve also had parents reach out, stating they have seen improvements in grades and behavior. The feeling of accomplishment means a lot to them.”
However, running a nonprofit youth sports organization is not without its challenges, particularly when it comes to transportation. “Clarendon Elite’s biggest challenge is transportation,” Chris admitted. “Being a travel football and cheerleading program, it requires us to travel to different cities within South Carolina, and transportation as well as finances can be a hassle. We live in a rural area where many of our youth are raised in single-parent homes, which can mean transportation may not be available for some, and finances are limited.”
To address this issue, Clarendon Elite relies on the support of dedicated coaches and parents who provide transportation for those in need. “We have also had various fundraisers that were designed to help offset the cost of expenses because we don’t want any child to feel like they are left out or cannot be a part of our organization,” Chris said. “We have also had an abundance of support from the community, with several businesses becoming sponsors. Sponsorships help to offset the cost of travel, the purchasing of equipment, and enrollment fees.”
Parents and the community play a vital role in supporting Clarendon Elite’s mission. “Our parents and community, including faculty and staff members, are very involved,” Angela said. “We reach out to parents on a regular basis, and we are always available to our parents and teachers. We have a website and are actively posting all updates on our social media page.”
Looking to the future, the Weeks family is excited about expanding the program and increasing its involvement in the community. Clarendon Elite will be hosting its first “Grab A Treat with Clarendon Elite” event, a trunk-or-treat on October 27th, which will be free to the community. They are also working on their first Thanksgiving drive, giving their young athletes the opportunity to give back to the community that supports them.
“We want to keep our youth positively active year-round to reduce the desires of negative involvement,” Angela said. “We want to partner with a senior program here in Clarendon County to start an initiative for seniors within the community. Whether it’s just taking out their trash, we want to continue to develop our youth’s social, leadership skills, and community service.”
For Chris and Angela Weeks, Clarendon Elite is more than just a sports program, it’s a way to invest in the next generation of leaders. “We are a part of that village,” Chris said. “We can’t allow our youth to excel on the field without making sure they are acquiring the knowledge required to be successful in life.”
