Francesco Duca: Key to Making a Change

Photo%3A+Francesco+Duca

Photo by Andrew Keeley

Francesco Duca president of Hopkinton’s Key club focuses on improving the community through service projects.

Senior Francesco Duca is a community service driven individual with strong leadership qualities, having recently been elected president of the HHS Key Club.

The Key Club is an in-school organization involved with in-reaching community service in and around the local area.

“We’re focused on making Hopkinton a better place,” Duca said.

He has been involved in the club since its founding last year and had an integral role in its creation. He says he has enjoyed “watching it grow into something 20+ people regularly attended.”

Through the club, Duca has participated in countless fundraisers, drives, and other community service opportunities, and this year he has taken the reins by organizing activities as well. As president, Duca recently organized a clothing drive which collected from the surrounding community and gave all donations to the Salvation Army.

During biweekly Key Club meetings, Duca showcases his leadership and sets a good example for underclassmen in the club. Meeting preparation and organization is substantial work, however.

“There are a lot of responsibilities, with a lot of kids depending on you,” Duca said.

Duca and the Key Club helped to host a prom for the elderly this past year and he recounts the event as a success.

“Projects like this are enjoyable for me,” he said. “I do them because it’s fun. I get together with a bunch of friends and help the community.”

This humble motivation encapsulates Duca as a student and a community member.

As the year progresses, the Key Club plans to partner with Project Just Because and other clothing donation organizations to acquire and distribute clothes to the needy. Students interested in joining the club are welcomed and encouraged to do so. They can talk to Duca, or another club member, about club information.