Letter from the President - Modesto Sunrise Rotary: Serving the Community Since 1985 | Community Projects, Scholarships, and Global Impact

Letter from the President

Christine Schweininger 2025 - 2026 President Modesto Sunrise Rotary

Rooted in Purpose, Guided by Service: My Journey to President of Modesto Sunrise Rotary

Like so many of you here in the Valley, my husband and I came from the Bay Area, filled with
hope, excitement, and a deep desire to build a meaningful life. From the very beginning, I
was eager to grow, to lead, and to serve. Over the years, I’ve been blessed with the
opportunity to take on several leadership roles and receive awards along the way, but more
than anything, each experience has reminded me how much more there is to give, and how
much greater the impact can be when we work together.
For over 25 years, I’ve had the privilege of serving in the business world, contributing my
time and energy to various boards and committees throughout our community. Today, I
proudly serve as the CEO of Valley Builders Exchange, a nonprofit I truly believe is a shining
jewel in our community.
But beyond titles and roles, what I cherish most are the heartfelt relationships and deep,
lasting connections I’ve built bonds that are rooted right here, in the place I’m proud to call
home.
With your trust, dedication, and active involvement, I know we’ll do more than simply
attend meetings, we’ll inspire and welcome the next generation of leaders into the Rotary
Family. Building a vibrant legacy that future Rotarians will be proud to carry forward.
To all who have supported me, believed in me, and entrusted me with the opportunity to
lead, I am profoundly grateful! I’m deeply honored and excited to step into the roll as your
President of the Sunrise Rotary. Together, let’s continue this incredible journey, and always
uphold the heart of Rotary: Service Above Self.

In Rotary Service,

Christine Schweininger

President 2025-26

RI President 2025- 2026

Rotary Club of Ragusa

Italy

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.

5220 – District Governor 2023-2024

Jay Hislop
2025-2026

Jay joined the Rotary Club of North Stockton in 1984 and
transferred to the Rotary Club of Stockton in July of 2022.

He has served in every club committee chair and board position except treasurer, and is Past President of two clubs.
Jay enjoys the many opportunities for service to his club, to District 5220 and his
community.

Jay and his wife Gail’s first RI Convention in Seoul, S. Korea in 2016 was an experience that opened their eyes and hearts to the BIG world of Rotary INTERNATIONAL.

Also, in 2016 Jay attended World Polio Day and the
West Africa Project Fair in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. There he met dedicated Rotarians with a
passion for service that he had truly not experienced before. He attended the West Africa
Project Fair in Liberia in 2018, and a World Polio Day trip to Pakistan.

Based upon Rotary friendships made during travels, Jay has helped several clubs become an
international partner in four major Global Grants. Jay and Gail have been married for 51
years. They have two adult daughters and and granddaughter.

Jay is a retired dentist and an “almost retired” attorney. His latest vocational calling is fine art, and he paints in watercolor
and oil. In his free time, Jay likes to read, is an avid skier, a weak cyclist, fair swimmer, former backpacker and mountaineer, enthusiastic fisherman, successful hunter, and all-around outdoorsman.

Jay’s motto in life, in the words of one of his favorite story teller, Jimmy Buffet, is, “I’d rather die while I’m living, than live while I’m dead…” Jay’s purpose in Rotary is to raise
understanding of the meaning of “International Service,” and to plan, promote, and provide
projects that are meaningful, effective and sustainable on a global scale.

The 2025-2026 RI Theme is Unite for Good.