RI President Francesco Arezzo selected our district  to visit immediately following the RI Convention in June in Taipei.   DGN Amy Benton volunteered to be his weekend aide and our RI President and his wife Anna Maria had a packed schedule.

He was amazed by the Little White House in Warm Springs, visited and spoke at RLI and attended an awesome peace pole ceremony at the King Center, placed very close to MLK’s burial site. Special thanks to PDG Gordon Owens and Dave McCleary for coordinating this wonderful tribute to peace at a historic location.

On Sunday, thanks to Rotary connections, Amy and Jeff Benton took the president to a Braves game against the Brewers which did not turn out great for the Braves but the VIP experience was deeply appreciated by our leader. Jeff also taught President Francisco much about the rules and nuances of baseball. On Sunday evening, the governor line entertained the RI president at a nice Italian restaurant, Enzo, which is owned by a new Rotarian in Trilith.  

The Rotary Club of Peachtree City hosted a district event honoring the RI President - allowing him to do what he loves most - engaging with and taking photos with Rotarians. DG Steve introduced the president after he highlighted the year end summary of our results and impact.  

DG Steve then drove the RI president and Anna Maria to District 7680 in Charlotte and was present for a leadership dinner, tree planting at the Mint Museum, lunch with the Rotary Club of Charlotte and a peace pole planting at Thompson Park. Overall, it was a great visit and amongst the last things RI President Francisco will do this year before heading to Evanston to transition off.  

It was a great way to end our Rotary Year!