The Belle Isle Women’s Committee is dedicated to the restoration of Detroit’s jewel – Belle Isle. We are committed to raising funds to support designated projects on Belle Isle. Modeled after women’s committees in New York, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Chicago, the BIWC is planning to duplicate their success in restoring their urban parks. Famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted designed both New York’s Central Park and Detroit’s Belle Isle, and the BIWC is making a long-term commitment to bring Detroit’s jewel back to its original glory.

Board of Directors/Officers Founder and President Sarah Earley Vice Presidents Elizabeth Brooks – Community Volunteer Lorna Thomas, M.D. Secretary Carole Larson Wendzel – Community Volunteer Treasurer Pamela Rue – Comerica Inc.

Members Melonie Colaianne – Masco Foundation Deborah Dingell – General Motors Bernadette Dore – Detroit Institute of Arts Eleanore Gabrys – Community Volunteer Marcy Hayes – C&B Scene Inc. Florine Mark – Weight Watchers Inc. Melanie Odom – Comerica, Inc. Vivian Pickard – General Motors Dawn Rassel – Weir Manuel Realtors Colleen Robar – Robar Communications Chrystal Roberts – HAP Dorie Shwedel – JVS Mary Tindall – Henry Ford Health Systems

Sunset Point Project
Funds raised from the Belle Isle Legacy Awards Luncheon are being used to renovate Sunset Pointe, a triangular-shaped space on the island’s westernmost point. The 1997 Master Plan for Belle Isle designates a promenade, expanded seating and enhanced landscaping for this area, which offers a spectacular view of the Detroit River and Detroit’s shoreline. This project is the first of many the Belle Isle Women’s Committee plans to initiate in its effort to “polish the jewel.”