By K. Michelle Moran
C & G Staff Writer

GROSSE POINTES — People may envision a blond model when they think of Swedish women, but a group of Grosse Pointers says the face of their former homeland and its people is becoming much more diverse.

Marcelle Frison-Fischer of Grosse Pointe Park said she’s an example of what she says is “the new Sweden.” She’s originally from Belgium and her native language is French, but she “became” Swedish by virtue of marrying a Swedish man and living in the country for about 25 years. Although now divorced and living here with her American husband, she still embraces her Swedish roots, as do her local compatriots and friends Mariela Griffor, Birgitta Sundell-Ranby and Marie Lorenz-Smith, all of whom also live in the Park. Sundell-Ranby and Lorenz-Smith were born and raised in Sweden, but Griffor, like Frison-Fischer, was an immigrant. Griffor is grateful to Sweden for having provided her with political asylum after she fled her native Chile in the 1970s.

“I’m very Swedish in my heart,” said Griffor, who moved to the Park a number of years ago after meeting and marrying an American who was then working in Sweden. “I owe so much to Sweden.”

The women — who also include Elsa Hedenbelg, a Greek woman whose husband is Swedish — meet regularly in the Pointes for coffee and conversation — in Swedish, of course. While they appreciate their lives in the United States, they also want to increase awareness of their former homeland. Frison-Fischer, a teacher and translator who once worked for the Swedish government, said Sweden’s progressive environmental and social policies discourage waste and protect people from hunger, respectively.

They also want to let other people with Swedish ties know about cultural and social programs in metro Detroit, such as classes in Swedish for children with at least one Swedish-speaking parent. Lorenz-Smith said Swedish moms with small children like her also meet monthly for lunch at IKEA, where they enjoy Swedish meatballs and more Swedish conversation.

The Grosse Pointe women all belong to the Swedish Women’s Educational Association, an international nonprofit with 8,000 members in 35 countries. SWEA offers scholarships and supports projects with a Swedish connection; it also helps Swedish women when they move abroad. The organization was established in 1979 and considers its mission “to protect the Swedish language, support and inform about our culture and traditions,” according to the SWEA Web site.

For more information, visit www.swea.org or send an e-mail to Michigan@swea.org or president@sweamichigan.org.

You can reach Staff Writer K. Michelle Moran at kmoran@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1047.