Ember Rising Foundation

Hope Zion, Dream to Reality

The idea of Hope Zion started when Justin was a Junior at Westwood High School in the DECA Program. DECA, which stands for the Distributive Education Clubs of America prepares students for futures in marketing, business, hospitality, law and finance.

Once in the program, in the year of 2017, Justin had to choose a business idea to present at competitions. He along with Faith Anna Ediger, had the idea of Hope Zion Home, a home for teens of abusive and neglectful homes. He competed at the state level of the competition and won 2nd place in the entire state of South Carolina at the DECA State Career Development Conference in the category of Start-Up Business. When he walked onto the stage to accept the award he knew the organization had the potential to be so much more than just an award winning high school project. He knew then, seeing how the idea of Hope Zion was so well received, that it needed to be a reality.

The organization as a whole was directly influenced by Justin's knowledge of people close to him who have suffered in abusive or neglectful households and he along with Faith and Jackson vowed to change it. So, on February 14th, 2019, Hope Zion, Home for Help was officially incorporated, and as they say the rest is history.