Ginger Wareham A Woman On The Go
story by mary ellen thompson photos by susan deloach
Delightfully vivacious, and practically screaming with creative
energy, Ginger Wareham is a girl on the go. She has her finger on the
pulse of practically everything in town, and has helped about a dozen
local non-profit organizations with her talents and time generously
donated. Even if you think you don’t know her, chances are you would
recognize her coming down the street with her long blonde hair,
brightly patterned clothing, and a smile that lights her way. And
you’ve certainly seen her eye-catching graphics on local websites,
posters, t-shirts, invitations and print ads all over town.
Picklejuice Productions is a local boutique digital agency that offers
fresh and creative web design, graphic design, social media management
and digital marketing solutions.
Ginger’s creative side dates way back to when she was about five
and her parents, Debbie and Larry Noah, let her paint her own room.
“Mom and Dad have always supported my creative and quirky side. I
painted murals all over the walls with huge trees, deer, birds and
stuff; I was way too young, but they’ve always been encouraging.”
Growing up in Harrisburg, IL with sister Amy, Ginger remembers
the small, one stop-light town fondly. Her mom and sister each
attended Ole Miss, so Ginger followed suit and fell in love with it.
“We went to New Orleans all the time. My grandparents lived there for
thirty years so I had family there. After I graduated, Amy, who was
living in Hilton Head at the time, and I moved to New Orleans; I was
there for twelve years. After Hurricane Katrina hit, I went right
back, I sneaked into parts of the city that were off-limits, and I
stayed for a couple of years but the devastation and reconstruction
were very hard and very sad. So I decided to leave New Orleans and
went home to Mom and Dad’s. After about a week there, a friend who
relocated to Charleston after Katrina called and asked me to come
visit in Charleston for a weekend. I went, and signed a lease four
days later. I actually found the most wonderful room-mates on
Craigslist and we rented an amazing house on the Isle of Palms. There,
I was able to get back on the beach, work with the turtle team, make
art, and basically get back in touch with myself.
“Will and I had met and dated in New Orleans, but Katrina
scattered most everything and everyone so we went our separate ways
for a bit. We reconnected over the holidays and our lives kicked into
full speed. A few months later, we were married and starting a whole
new journey together.”
When Will received a job offer in Beaufort, they came to take a
look. Even though they lived in Charleston, and Amy had lived further
down the road in Hilton Head, they had never visited Beaufort. “The
first person we met was Deanna Bowdish at The Gallery; she told us
about the neighborhood of Pigeon Point and we went to take a look. We
saw a house that had a “For Rent” sign so we got out of the car – Will
went around one way, I went around the other and we met in the back
overlooking the water just at the time when the sky was filled with
pinks and purples reflecting in the river; we fell in love with the
spectacular view and rented the house.”
In another vein, Ginger reveals, “I’m very superstitious and I
believe that everything happens for a reason. My most recent project
came to me by way of my next door neighbor, Peg Schlichtemeier, who is
spearheading “First Books of Beaufort,” a literacy program for
children age four, which is a critical age when so much is happening.
Will and I are both on the Board, and there are about 60 volunteers.
“We have two children, Hogan who is five, and Cecilia who is two,
so I know first hand how important reading to children is. Chance
happens, this is a project I strongly support and probably wouldn’t
even know about it if Peg didn’t live next door. Volunteers take books
into seven Title 1 pre-schools and read to the children, the children
then take the books home and at the end of the school year each child
will have a library of nine books. It only costs $20 to buy books for
an entire class for a month, so we’re hoping the community will get
involved. There are many levels we need donations for to get this
project rolling; further information can be found at
firstbooksofbeaufort.com. Currently the program is only in place in
Beaufort, but Peg would like to expand the program further into
Beaufort County. I believe in the importance of this program and am
excited about the opportunity to get this information out and extend
our reach and grow.”
As every successful business does, Ginger gets many requests to
donate. “I don’t have a lot of money to give, but I have time and
talent which I can donate. Picklejuice has a broad reach and I enjoy
doing these things and just wish we had more time. We are in the
process of creating ‘Picklejuice Projects 4 Purpose’ that would select
one non-profit a year who we could help with their branding including
website, logo, t-shirt design, or whatever they need.”
One of the much appreciated endeavors that Ginger has gifted the
community is “Shop Local” which has been very successful in promoting
the concept of shopping locally to support the small businesses who
make up this community. To further that concept, another idea prowling
around in her mind is trying to curate a store front with four or five
items from each merchant for online shopping. Ginger’s mind is a very,
very busy place.
“I have a lot of ideas and goals that I would like to accomplish.
I recently attended a Laura Casey conference: ‘Make It Happen’ in
North Carolina. I thought it would be just another business
conference, but the message I took away was: ‘Do things that last
longer than you.’ So it made me think about my legacy.”
The most important part of her legacy, of course, is her family.
“Both Hogan and Cecilia are really into art, Hogan plays soccer and
they each have a favorite movie. For Hogan it’s The Sound of Music,
and Cecilia loves the 1950’s Cinderella – which I think we watch every
day! I love that they love those movies instead of wanting to watch
cartoons. We also have a new rescue dog, Ruffles, which is part basset
hound and part corgi, so she’s long and a barker. Will works in
production and is on-air at WHHI, so with everything that’s going on,
sometimes it’s hard to find the time to prioritize, but family always
comes first. Will is the full supporter of my non-stop crazy ideas, he
is the one who keeps me grounded.”
This year, for her birthday, Ginger wrote herself a wish
list/promise letter. She enumerated the many things she hopes to
create and have the time to do; so like Ginger, the list is extensive
and reaching. It begins with “Be more present for my family” and ends
with “Plant the seeds to leave a meaningful legacy”. In between those
two goals are nestled fifty-five others. The odds are, like so many
other things she strives to achieve, that most of them will fall into
the “been there, done that” section of her bucket list, before the
year is out.
