Rotary International President Makes Historic Visit to Peachtree City

Rotary International President Francesco Arezzo visited Peachtree City on Monday during the final week of his one-year term, marking the first visit by a sitting Rotary International president in the city’s history. District 6900 Governor Steve Ivory hosted the event, bringing together Rotarians from across Georgia to hear the organization’s top volunteer leader discuss the future of Rotary.

As part of the visit, Peachtree City Mayor Kim Learnard presented Arezzo with a proclamation declaring June 22, 2026, as Rotary International President Francesco Arezzo Day in Peachtree City. In the proclamation, Learnard noted that Rotary International unites more than 1.2 million members in 200 countries and geographic regions through its commitment to “Service Above Self,” while recognizing the rare opportunity for local Rotarians to host the organization’s highest-ranking volunteer.

“This is my absolute honor,” Learnard said before reading the proclamation, which praised Rotary’s decades of service both locally and around the world.

Ivory welcomed Arezzo and his wife, Anna Maria, to Georgia after several days of touring the state. Their itinerary included visits to Warm Springs, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, Rotary leadership training, a Braves game, and dinner at ENZO Steakhouse & Bar, a restaurant in Trilith owned by an Italian.

Before becoming Rotary International president, Arezzo practiced as an orthodontist in Ragusa, Italy. He stepped away from his orthodontic practice to serve as Rotary International president, a full-time volunteer position leading the organization’s global network.

Warm Springs held particular significance for Arezzo because of Rotary’s decades-long commitment to eradicating polio.

“I was very surprised that probably just a few international presidents have visited that place,” he said. “It is so significant for our history.”

A message focused on membership

During his keynote address, Arezzo devoted much of his remarks to what he described as Rotary’s greatest challenge: membership.

While Rotary’s worldwide membership has remained relatively stable for decades, he said that stability masks significant changes. Membership has declined throughout much of North America and Europe while growing rapidly in countries such as India, South Korea, the Philippines, and across Africa.

“The United States is so important,” Arezzo said. “We need that the United States begins again to grow membership.”

He outlined three priorities he believes are essential for Rotary’s future: retaining current members, carefully selecting new members committed to service, and creating innovative new clubs that appeal to younger generations.

Of those, retention received the greatest emphasis.

“When a new member doesn’t come to a meeting, it is the job of the club president to call,” he said. “We miss you. Why didn’t you come? What can we do for you?”

Arezzo argued that many members leave not because of Rotary’s mission, but because they feel unnoticed.

“If I go or if I don’t go, nobody knows,” he said, describing how new members can feel if no one reaches out after an absence. “He feels himself abandoned, and he goes away.”

He also encouraged Rotary leaders to experiment with new club models rather than relying exclusively on traditional meeting formats that have existed since Rotary’s founding in 1905.

“We need to find something that is new,” he said. “We cannot think to face the new century with the kind of club that was invented 120 years ago.”

Leadership through service

Near the conclusion of his remarks, Arezzo reflected on his own Rotary journey, comparing leadership to climbing a mountain.

Each level of responsibility, he said—from club president to district governor, to Rotary’s international board, and finally international president—required a different style of leadership. But after reaching the summit, he said he realized the true purpose of leadership was not the title.

“The real leadership is to meet the Rotarians, to speak with them, and to try to find solutions for their problems,” Arezzo said.

The visit also highlighted District 6900’s accomplishments during Ivory’s year as governor, including chartering three new clubs, raising more than $1.15 million for Rotary initiatives, funding grants around the world, supporting opioid response programs in Georgia, planting peace poles, and continuing Rotary’s longstanding effort to eradicate polio.

As Arezzo prepares to conclude his term as Rotary International president, his visit marked a milestone for both the Peachtree City Rotary Club and District 6900. It was the first time a sitting Rotary International president had visited Peachtree City, bringing together local and state Rotary leaders to celebrate the organization’s mission of service and discuss its future.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to have our Rotary International president here,” Ivory said. “We’re all honored for you to be here.”