- The District Conference was held in Decorah on May 2-4. Click on this Kululu link to see pictures from the Conference.
- District Governor Shannon Duncan visited the Rotary Club of Dubuque June 3 for the last The Red Basket Project of Dubuque packing party! 2429 period packs done this year! Thank you Rotary Club of Dubuque and Rotary District 5970 for supporting this transformational project! For more information visit https://www.redbasketproject.com/
- District Governor Ward Budweg and his wife Jack shake a leg at the Winneshiek County Fair after the Decorah Rotary Club served pork chops all day. See the video here.
- This is a picture of six Waterloo Rotary Club members who completed a service project in conjunction with a Habitat for Humanity home build. The Waterloo Club will have four different teams working Monday through Thursdaythis week. Club President Larry Steffens organized the service project.

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Seeking District Governor Candidates
Are you or a fellow Rotarian looking to grow in District 5970 and Rotary International? We’ve begun the search for the 2028-2029 Rotary Year District Governor. As District Governor, you’ll be charged with leading the district, serving as an officer of RI and most importantly inspiring our clubs to reach new heights . Get the complete position description.
To apply, you must meet the following qualifications include:
Be a current member in good standing
Completed 7 years of Rotary membership prior to taking office
Served a term as President of a Rotary Club,
Possess good leadership skills
Have strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with others
Able to speak in public
Desire to promote the good work of Rotary on a local and international level
If you’re ready to take on this Rotary leadership role please complete this Application. It requires your secretary's certification. Please send the completed form by April 6, 2025 to District Executive Secretary Suellen Kolbet at des@district5970.org








Francesco Arezzo
President 2025-2026
July 2025
Francesco Arezzo is an orthodontist in private practice and owns an agricultural enterprise that produces extra virgin olive oil in Sicily.
Arezzo is a graduate of the University of Padua and a member of the Italian, European, and American orthodontics associations, as well as the Italian and European lingual orthodontics associations. He is a dentistry graduate of the University of Cagliari, where he also received a master’s in lingual orthodontics.
He has served as vice president of the National Association of Italian Dentists for the province of Ragusa and was the founder and head for seven years of the Ragusa delegation to the National Trust for Italy.
Arezzo is also the owner of an agricultural enterprise and producer of extra virgin olive oil in the Monti Iblei region of Sicily. He has been vice president of the administrative council of the consortium controlling and regulating quality production of oil in that region. He owns two boutique hotel settlements there. He enjoys modern art and opera.
A Rotary member for 36 years, Arezzo has served as vice chair of the Joint Strategic Planning Committee and as RI director, chair of the 2023 Melbourne Convention Committee, learning facilitator, and district conference presidential representative, among other roles.
He is married to Anna Maria Arezzo-Criscione, an entrepreneur in the tourism field. They have two daughters and two grandchildren. His daughter Raffaela spent a year in Florida as part of a Rotary Youth Exchange. Francesco and Anna Maria are Benefactors and Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation.

2024-25: The Magic of Rotary

RI President-elect Stephanie Urchick celebrates the magic of Rotary. She says members create that magic with every project completed, every dollar donated, and every new member of Rotary.