Three months after Demitri Hampton was tragically killed in a Flanders home invasion, his family is celebrating his life and coming together to keep his memory alive.
Jennifer Nicole Davis, Hampton's sister, said focusing on the positive helps soothe shattered hearts. To that end, Hampton's family have created the "DQH Memorial Scholarship Fund," to help other bright young students, like Hampton, continue their educations.
A fundraiser will also be held on Saturday at Ludlam Park from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. The event will feature a 3 on 3 basketball tournament; $15 per team, as well as food, music, raffles, and activities. Proceeds from the event will benefit the DQH Memorial Scholarship Fund. To sign up for the basketball tournament, call 516-355-8899 or email DQHScholarshipFund@gmail.com.
"The DQH scholarship was started by my mom," Davis said. "Demitri was a student at Suffolk County Community College. He was very motivated to let kids know if he could do it, everyone else could, too. He wanted to spread awareness about getting into college."
Despite his dreams for a bright future, Hampton's life ended on a cold February night when he died at the hands gunmen who burst into the Flanders residence. "Everything got cut short," Davis said. "We wanted to keep his dreams alive."
The scholarship fund, she said, will benefit two students each year who demonstrate financial need. "This is just my mom's way of giving back on behalf of my brother," Davis said. "Some kids just can't afford to go to college and need a little help."
The scholarships, which can be used toward Suffolk County Community College, Davis said, will be awarded in June.
Although three months have passed since the tragic night when Davis lost Hampton, whom she called her "baby brother," time has not softened the blow to their family, she said.
"It doesn't get easier," she said. "There's not a day that I don't say his name. I miss my little brother every day."
She and her mother, Davis said, recall things Hampton liked to do, things he said.
Faith, Davis said, has carried them through the dark days. "We're very religious; we're Christian," she said. "This is something we just have to deal with. I try to stay focused. I have a child and I'm focused on my son and my family, my friends and my work. But I definitely miss my brother. I miss him every day."
His family, Davis said, wants to keep the flame of her brother's memory burning bright -- and the memories of his life alive. "I don't want Demitri to be a victim," she said. "I want to keep his legacy alive -- he was a hero."
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