Spotlight Articles

Each month, the SCA eUPDATE "spotlights" an affiliated organization. These organizations represent the diversity of Swedish America across North America and Sweden. The organizations that have been spotlighted to date are listed in the sidebar menu.

Spotlight on

SWEA Michigan

SWEA Michigan is excited to be celebrating our 20th anniversary in 2011. Tottie Samuelson established the chapter in 1991. We currently have about 80 members, most of whom live in Metropolitan Detroit or Ann Arbor.

There have always been many Swedish families living in Michigan, both temporarily and permanently, but prior to 1991 there were no formal organizations for Swedish women. In 1991 Tottie Samuelson managed to gather a large group of Swedish women together to formally found SWEA Michigan. Its purpose, like our parent organization SWEA International, is to promote Swedish culture, language and traditions and provide a network for Swedish-speaking women.

Through the tireless work of Tottie and the original members, SWEA Michigan quickly put many annual events into place. Our annual Christmas Fair is where we showcase Swedish crafts, food and hospitality as well as our classic St. Lucia pageant for the local community. At "Valborg" (Walpurgis) and Midsummer, members gather with their families to celebrate traditional holidays. Film evenings and book clubs help keep members up to date with current pop culture "at home," and outings to local museums and events connect us to our host country.

SWEA Michigan is part of a global non-profit organization for Swedish speaking women who live or have lived abroad. Agneta Nilsson founded it in 1979 in California and today it has around 7,400 members in 73 chapters spread over 34 countries. SWEA is the largest non-profit organization promoting Sweden outside of Sweden and gives donations and scholarships of approximately $300,000 annually. SWEA Michigan is proud to give annual donations to, among others, the Scandinavian Department at the University of Michigan, the Jenny Lind Society and other organizations to promote Swedish culture and tradition.

August 2011