Effective leadership and the importance of not being satisfied were the themes of the second annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Benefit Brunch on Monday, hosted by the S. Delois Mayes Scholarship Foundation.

“A good leader does not sit and try to take all the credit for himself,” said James A. Toney Jr., the guest speaker for the event, which was held at the Hilton Garden Inn Harbour View. “(King) was a pinnacle leader.”

Toney’s speech centered on this quote of King’s: “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”

Toney said his father had the opportunity to meet with King several times and was always surprised that King didn’t say much in the meetings.

“In order for you to be a leader, you’ve got to learn to follow as well,” Toney told the folks in the room, speaking particularly to the young entertainment, the Nansemond River High School Jazz Band.

Toney urged those present to live out King’s legacy all year long, just as Jesus Christ, whom Toney called the “supreme leader,” encouraged his followers to do.

“He leaves us a legacy not for us to fold it up and put it in a suitcase,” Toney said.

Phylicia Nixon, a senior at Nansemond River High School, told the story of her great-grandfather meeting King when he came for a rally in Suffolk on June 28, 1963, just two months before his “I have a dream” speech in Washington, D.C.

“I have embraced Dr. King’s speech,” Nixon said. “For me, I have a responsibility to march ahead and never look back.”

She said some people ask when those who seek the fulfillment of King’s dream will be “satisfied.”

“Dr. King’s dream speech means to me not to be satisfied,” she said.

The foundation was formed by Ebony Wright in honor of her sister, S. Delois Mayes, who died in a car crash. In two years, it has awarded $7,500 in scholarships.

“I know my sister is smiling down from Heaven,” Wright said.

Wright said education was important to her sister, who persevered through health and other struggles.

“The one thing she wanted to do was get her education,” Wright said. “She knew that once she had that, nobody could take it away from her.”

One of last year’s scholarship recipients, Vera Shinard, told the crowd of supporters how the scholarship has helped her take summer classes locally to get ahead. She plans to graduate a year early.

“Without (Wright’s) dedication to build her own foundation, it wouldn’t have been possible,” she said.

Honored at the banquet were Edward J. Woodis, director of bands and orchestra at Nansemond River High School, and Gwendolyn Ellis-Wilson, the vice president of the foundation.

“All glory goes to God,” Woodis said. He echoed Nixon’s words: “Keep the dream going. Never be satisfied. I always tell the kids, when you reach a goal, find another one.”

The scholarships awarded by the foundation are open to any senior at a Suffolk public school. This year’s deadline to apply is Feb. 1. More information is available at www.sdmscholarshipfoundation.com.