LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The arrest of Hope for Prisoners CEO and founder Jon Ponder on 20 sex crime charges is sending shockwaves through the Las Vegas community, raising concerns about the future of a program that helps formerly incarcerated people reenter the workforce.
WATCH | Shellye Leggett heard from one business partner about its hopes for the program moving forward:
Police said Ponder used his position of power to abuse female inmates in the program.
For Denfield Wright, the news hit close to home. Wright struggled to find work after a run-in with the law, facing rejection after rejection before Hope for Prisoners connected him with a job at Buldogis Gourmet Hotdogs and Eatery.
"I applied for a job and nobody wanted to hire me," Wright said.
He described finally landing that opportunity as a turning point.
"Like being under the water, submerged and looking for the top for oxygen and just coming up, that first breath you take after you've been down in the water, and relief," Wright said.
More than two years later, Wright still works at Buldogis and now runs his own junk removal business on the side. He credits Hope for Prisoners with making it possible.
"He gave me my first opportunity in this organization," Wright said.
But Wright said he was shocked when he heard the news about Ponder's arrest. His first concern was for the program itself.
"My first thought was, I hope they don't kill the program," said Boyzie Milner, the owner of Buldogis Gourmet Hot Dogs and Eatery.
The owners of Buldogis share that concern. About half of their employees are graduates of the Hope for Prisoners program, and they say the mentorship the organization provides makes a real difference.
"A lot of these young men and young women, they didn't really have that type of real solid mentorship growing up," Milner said. "Once they see you care about them and you're trying to help them and you want them to progress, they're receptive to that."
Hope for Prisoners addressed the future of the organization in a statement, saying in part:
"HOPE's daily operations will continue without interruption. We remain fully committed to HOPE's vital mission of helping individuals successfully reenter the workforce, transform their families, and rebuild their lives."
For Wright and his colleagues at Buldogis, the hope is that the program's mission endures so others can get the same second chance they did.
"When people say no 1000 times, that all it takes is one yes and show up, show out, you know, perseverance," Wright said.
