On Jan. 29, Back to the Bricks and the Flint Women’s Forum announced the unveiling of the 10th Statue in the Automobile Heritage Collection, Rosie the Riveter at Flint Bishop International Airport. Rosie is the first female to join the Automobile Pioneers collection. Executive Director Amber Taylor of Back to the Bricks was the principal in spearheading the fundraising efforts with the Flint Women’s Forum where she serves as president.
Back to the Bricks and the Flint Women’s Forum hosted a Virtual LIVE Unveiling at Flint Bishop International Airport. On hand to assist with the presentation and unveiling was Executive Director of Back to the Bricks and President of the Flint Women’s Forum Amber Taylor, and sculptor Joe Rundell, Flint native who made the Rosie Statue out of clay. John Gazall, president at Gazall Lewis Architects and Chairman of the Automobile Heritage Collection, Stacy Shea Fields, dealer principal of Shea Automotive Group, and Gary Fisher served as MC, president with G.L. Fisher Management and Vice President of the Genesee County Historical Society. Also on hand was Nino Sapone Airport Director of Flint Bishop International Airport.
Airport Director, Nino Sapone said, “Hundreds of thousands of passengers use this airport to access our region every year. It is an honor to have been chosen to showcase this wonderful statue. Since the original Rosie the Riveter worked on the line at an aircraft factory in Michigan, and other Flint-area factories during WWII, where better to display this statue than at our area’s aviation and industrial hub gateway?”
Taylor has presented to over 30 different groups and organizations as part of the fundraising efforts. The Flint Women’s Forum organized a 5k Walk/Run this past June raising over $15,000 towards the statue’s overall goal of $40,000. A Women that Rock Rosie Radiothon helped push the fundraising efforts over the finish line hosted by Shea Automotive Group and 103.9 the Fox at the Shea Automotive dealership on Corunna Road in December of 2020.
