From her grandfather, to her children, it seems that giving is in Ginger Salazar’s DNA.
A Santa Barbara County native, Salazar grew up in Lompoc where her father worked at Vandenberg Air Force Base and also served as mayor.
Her grandfather worked as a cook on the Santa Fe Railway in New Mexico and would cook for people in the community who did not have enough money at the time to feed themselves.
“(My father) was a strong influence for me by modeling the behavior of serving,” Salazar told Noozhawk.
It is because of her years of service on nonprofit organization boards in Santa Barbara County that she is being awarded the 79th Person of the Year by the Santa Barbara Foundation.
“I’m honored that (the award) really puts a spotlight and elevates what everyone is doing in our community.”
Salazar went to college with the help of donations from local organizations in her community, such as the Elks Club, the Rotary Club and the Santa Barbara Foundation.
“All these community groups may or may not have known me, but they had worked hard to raise money, and they were investing that in me,” she said. “So I think we just have a responsibility if we’re able to give back.”
After she graduated, Salazar worked at Procter & Gamble and met her husband. The two then started their own company and returned to Santa Barbara 18 years later after they sold it.
Salazar currently serves on the boards of the Santa Barbara Foundation, Cottage Health and the Towbes Foundation. Previously, she has served on the board of the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
She said serving on the board of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History made her feel like she was “coming full circle.”
“I remember going to the Museum of Natural History all the years that I was growing up,” Salazar said.
“That was a place of wonder for me, and so it was important for me to go back and serve in a place that gave me so much growing up and stimulated my thinking and prompted me to ask questions, which are all part of life education stimulating interest and curiosity.”
For Salazar, serving the community falls into one of three buckets: serving on the board of an organization, getting your hands dirty through volunteer work and supporting your family. She has done all three, from volunteering at COVID-19 vaccination centers to serving on the boards of several charitable organizations.
“I think that Santa Barbara is really impressive,” she said. “There’s such a tradition of giving here.”
Salazar has passed the tradition of philanthropy work to her children. When her son was in elementary school, he started a fundraiser selling bracelets to support secondary schooling in Tanzania.
Her youngest daughter is interested in criminal justice reform and is doing research that, actually, was used to help pass legislation to reform the Virginia criminal justice system.
“Everyone can have an impact,” Salazar said.” That’s my favorite part is seeing people engaged and creating change.
“You know, I think at the end of the day, it’s really simple. I think people give because, ultimately, we get something in return. Right? Because it makes us feel good.”
Salazar and Katina Zaninovich will be honored at the Santa Barbara Foundation Person of the Year Luncheon on Sep. 21 at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. The luncheon is sponsored by the foundation, Montecito Bank & Trust, Cox Communications, Noozhawk and the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara.
— Noozhawk staff writer Grace Kitayama can be reached at gkitayama@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.