By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Deputy Mac Sanford had no idea he would become the chairman of the board at Upward Hope Academy located at 3305 Church St. in Galveston. He was just playing Santa Claus and delivering presents to the school in December 2024.
But he didn’t stop filling his Santa role in December. Sanford continued to lend a helping hand.
“I saw what a great opportunity it was to help the students in Galveston, so I just got more involved,” Sanford said.
One thing led to another, and before he knew it, he was shoulder-tapped to serve as chairman of the board. How could Santa Claus refuse? With a twinkle in his eyes, a heart filled with love and a career in law enforcement, he said yes to the school.
Deputy Sanford works for Galveston County Constable Precinct 1 and is a trained mental health officer. He currently serves as a community resource officer in Texas City. Through his experiences as a mental health officer and community resource officer, he has developed skills for assisting people in times of crisis and nurtured a network of people and organizations he can tap into to assist the school.
The school has fallen on rough times, but Sanford believes in its mission.
“We’re still here!” he proclaims.
The school provides a high school education to Galveston County students who, without Upward Hope Academy, might not finish high school.
“We are a tuition-free high school, and we serve the students who are otherwise unserved. Our students include the homeless, orphans who are wards of the state, and those on probation/parole,” Sanford said. “We have graduated over 2,000 kids since opening in 2007.”
Currently, lack of funding is challenging the school’s ability to stay open.
“Due to illness, the grant writers were not able to apply for the grants we typically apply for, so we did not get them for the 2025-26 school year,” Sanford said.
Not afraid of a daunting challenge, Sanford has immersed himself in raising funds for the school and employing the use of volunteer services.
With help from his extensive network of compassionate people, he has grown a list of volunteers. Sanford shared that one volunteer is taking on basic maintenance of the building and grounds. Others are hosting fundraisers, such as the silent auction held on Thursday. Still others are offering to assist in areas, such as grant writing and mentoring students.
Sanford reports he is cutting all costs at the school to a bare-bones level. Even with the volunteers and his micromanagement of the school’s financial situation, there is a huge financial shortfall. However, Sanford is confident that if keeping the school running is the Lord’s will, the money will come in.
He isn’t just raising funds for the school. Sanford reports he is committed to a few changes in how the school’s operations are managed.
“I intend to bring in a new code of ethics that centers on transparency and accountability,” Sanford said. “But fundraising efforts are crucial to keeping the doors open.”
Since he works for an elected official, he knows he must get it right in his volunteer role, or his boss won’t be too happy with him.
Beyond his boss not being happy, if he doesn’t do all he can, the students who are already barely hanging on by a few threads will end up losing out.
Upward Hope Academy was opened by Kathy Whatley, who had a vision to create a school for students who weren’t able to participate in a traditional high school. Using all her teacher retirement funds, she founded Upward Hope Academy.
In 2008, Hurricane Ike brought destruction to the school and all its contents, which Whatley had purchased. But the school’s journey was not over. Community members read about the school’s plight and stepped in with their support to keep the school open.
Destruction by Hurricane Ike didn’t bring the school to a close, and now with Sanford at the helm, the hope in Upward Hope Academy is being called upon once again. As the school continues to serve Galveston County’s underserved high school students, the future is looking Upward.
If you are interested in being part of the revival of Upward Hope Academy, reach out to the school at 409-497-4393.
