Lilly Employees from Nearly 50 Nations Participate in Company's First-Ever Global Day of Service
May 15 2008 - 5:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
INDIANAPOLIS, May 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Thousands of Eli
Lilly and Company employees in nearly 50 nations are rolling up
their sleeves today to help address local community needs in
celebration of Lilly's first-ever Global Day of Service, possibly
the largest corporate volunteer initiative to ever take place on
one day. Beginning at sunrise in New Zealand, Lilly employees from
Algeria to Venezuela will be donating time and energy to improve
the health and well-being of communities around the world. In
Turkey, employees are planting trees to assist with reforestation
efforts. In China, employees will walk the Great Wall to raise
funds to fight multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. And in
Indianapolis, Lilly's headquarters, the company has partnered with
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and more than 50 local community
organizations to participate in a massive one-day city makeover.
More than 8,400 Indianapolis-area employees are participating in 60
beautification projects, which include: -- painting more than a
half-mile of outdoor murals, including a 1,230-foot long wall that
may create a new Guinness Book of World Record for the largest
paint-by-number mural -- planting 2,000 trees and 6,000 other
plantings -- enhancing 16 medians -- removing 24 acres of invasive
plants from public areas -- building Habitat for Humanity house
frames for three homes -- working with 19 local schools (mostly
IPS), Boy Scouts of Greater Indianapolis, Indy Parks and United Way
of Central Indiana on other projects benefiting our central Indiana
community "I can think of no better way to celebrate Lilly's 132nd
year in business than this Global Day of Service," said Lilly CEO
and President John Lechleiter. "We are dedicated to developing
breakthrough products that improve the lives of patients. However,
we know that the health of people and, more broadly, of
communities, is about more than just medicine. That is why Lilly is
committed to collaborative efforts -- like the Day of Service --
that go beyond medicine to strengthen the fabric of our communities
and help the patients we serve." Lilly's Global Day of Service will
serve as the signature event for the company's "Hands and Hearts"
program, which was launched in 2007 to enhance and encourage
employee involvement with nonprofit organizations. In 2007, Lilly's
philanthropic contributions totaled about $315 million, including
about $240 million in products for patient assistance programs and
international humanitarian causes. Lilly's total 2007 giving
represents about 6 percent of its adjusted income before taxes and
has positioned Lilly once again as one of the most charitable
companies in the world. More information about the Lilly Global Day
of Service, including project descriptions and photos, is available
online at http://www.lillymedia.com/lillyglobaldayofservice . About
Lilly Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing
a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class
pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its
own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent
scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind.,
Lilly provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for
some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional
information about Lilly is available at http://www.lilly.com/ .
C-LLY (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO )
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http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Eli Lilly and Company
CONTACT: Carole Puls, +1-317-277-1421, or mobile, +1-317-612-4859,
or Lauren Cislak, +1-317-655-0453, or mobile +1-317-997-5180, or
Edward Sagebiel, +1-317-433-9899, or mobile +1-317-985-6303, all of
Eli Lilly and Company
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