The S. Delois Mayes Scholarship Foundation will host its first Martin Luther King Jr. Day Benefit Brunch on Jan. 19 to raise money to provide scholarships.

The charity gave its first two scholarships last year and hopes to double that to four this year, said Ebony Wright of the foundation.

The foundation is named after Wright’s sister, an Old Dominion University graduate who died in a car accident 13 years ago on her way home to Georgia after visiting Wright in Suffolk.

“The last place I saw her alive was here in Suffolk, which is why I focus on Suffolk,” Wright said.

Wright said her sister was in the process of writing a book when she died.

“I looked at it, and I was going to try to finish it for her,” she said. “But nobody can really tell her story better than she can.”

So Wright started looking for other ways to honor her sister’s legacy. Education was important to Mayes, so Wright decided to start the scholarship foundation.

She felt Martin Luther King Jr. Day would be a good time to hold the first brunch.

“Most kids are out of school, most parents are out of work, most businesses are closed,” she said. “We just wanted to make sure we used the day to promote education. Our theme is ‘Share the Dream, Shape the Future.’ I think our mission, which is to education, goes along with shaping the future.”

The event will take place at 10 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Harbour View. Brandi Cummings of WAVY will be the keynote speaker.

The scholarship currently is exclusive to students from Suffolk Public Schools, and applications are due Feb. 1.

“Once we get a little bigger and get more funding, we can probably broaden it to surrounding areas,” she said.

To get tickets to the brunch or apply for the scholarship, call 279-8354 or visit www.sdmscholarshipfoundation.com.