By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Though some might have deemed these young people a bit too old to believe in Santa Claus, it really didn’t matter. That’s because when the students at Upward Hope Academy in Galveston opened the gifts they had written down on a list for Santa, they found, to their delight, exactly what they had asked for.
The gifts were brought to them by Sanford Claus, also known as Officer Mac Sanford, a deputy with Galveston County Constable Precinct 1.
One student, Joseph, had straggled down the school’s hallway with a slight interest in the Christmas clamor going on in the front office. He listened patiently as Officer Sanford explained that many people cared about the students and were proud to know the young people were working to improve their lives.
He also waited patiently while other students’ names were called out and gifts were opened. Then Joseph shouted for joy when he opened his gift, a pair of Sketchers shoes in the color and size he had requested. He didn’t just shout for joy; he leapt across the breezeway with his new shoes.
Young ladies had requested Stanley tumblers and were delighted to open boxes and find not only the tumblers in the colors they had requested but also that each tumbler was personalized. Each tumbler had the name of its recipient printed on it.
Some students had asked for jackets, others for shirts and one young lady asked for LED lights to light up her bedroom ceiling.
The reason the students were given exactly what they had asked for is all thanks to Sanford Claus and his merry group of sponsors and helpers. His helpers on Tuesday included his fiancée, Kristi Cook, and her father, Larry Ogletree.
“I wanted these kids to have that feeling of the magic of Christmas, of knowing, ‘I wrote this down and this is what Santa gave me,’” explained Officer Sanford.
Along with a personalized gift, the team also presented each student with a $10 Walmart gift card, and Mr. Ogletree brought each of the students a brand new five-dollar bill enclosed in a Christmas card.
Kristi spent the past several weeks matching sponsors with students, and then she wrapped more than 500 gifts. The couple plans to make Christmas Eve deliveries to families with younger children, who will be getting exactly what they asked Santa to bring.
As a fourth-generation Texas lawman, Sanford has seen firsthand many children in need, and his heart is open to helping them. He reports that in 2025, he will be organizing a 501(c3) nonprofit so that he, his sponsors, family and friends can meet the needs of young people in Galveston County during Christmastime and beyond.
Sanford’s circle of friends, and sponsors, is wide, and he and his team are ready to help support the students at Upward Hope Academy in many ways, including making sure they have clothing and boots for work and providing the fee for a Transportation Worker Identification Card (TWIC) card if they want to work on the docks.
A 501 (c3) nonprofit will help facilitate Officer Sanford’s generous spirit as he matches sponsors with students of Galveston County. We will keep an eye out for Sanford Clause and the good deeds he will be doing in the future.
