Lilly to Celebrate Second Annual Global Day of Service May 20
May 18 2009 - 9:47AM
PR Newswire (US)
Employees from New Zealand to California to volunteer in their
communities INDIANAPOLIS, May 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On May
20, red T-shirts will once again blanket communities in the U.S.
and across the globe as thousands of Eli Lilly and Company
employees donate their time and energy to improve the health and
well-being of their hometowns in celebration of the company's
second annual Global Day of Service. Last year, more than 20,000
Lilly employees from more than 50 global locations participated,
making Lilly's Global Day of Service one of the world's
largest-ever corporate volunteerism events to take place on a
single day. In Indianapolis, Lilly's corporate headquarters, last
year's event was a catalyst that generated nearly 30,000 hours of
volunteer time in a single day toward community improvement
projects in Central Indiana. "From our company's earliest days,
giving back to our communities has been an important part of our
mission. In addition, providing meaningful opportunities for
employee volunteerism and community service is critically important
in the recruitment, retention, and engagement of a talented
workforce," said Chairman, President, and CEO John Lechleiter,
Ph.D. "For Lilly, this is essential to our success, particularly at
a time when we must work to fundamentally transform our business.
During these difficult economic times, we believe that thoughtful
investments in corporate social responsibility, including the
Global Day of Service, are not only the right thing to do for our
communities, they also make very good business sense." Among the
many projects taking place outside the U.S., employees in Singapore
are partnering with their local national park to assist with
restoration efforts on an island off the coast of Singapore.
Employees will clean up trash and debris to help preserve the local
ecosystem and marine life. In Poland, employees will renovate
outdoor play areas, buildings and gardens at seven orphanages. And
in Indianapolis, more than 9,500 Lilly employees will join Keep
Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB) and 60 local organizations to complete
more than 50 community improvement projects within the city. In
addition to KIB, local partners include the Indiana Department of
Transportation (INDOT), Indy Parks, Habitat for Humanity of Greater
Indianapolis, Boy Scouts of America, United Way of Central Indiana,
and Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS). "We've built upon last
year's success and the overwhelmingly positive feedback from our
employees and community partners around the world to take this Day
of Service to the next level," said Rob Smith, director of
corporate responsibility at Lilly. "We believe this volunteer event
represents a wonderful opportunity for organizations and
individuals to come together in common cause to improve the
communities in which we live and work. We look forward to even
greater participation in the years to come." Lilly's Global Day of
Service is 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 2008, Lilly's
philanthropic contributions totaled approximately $350 million, 80
percent of which was product donations for patient assistance
programs, the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership, and international
humanitarian causes. 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/. CR-LLY (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090518/DE18430LOGO)
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090518/DE18430 DATASOURCE:
Eli Lilly and Company CONTACT: Carole Puls, +1-317-277-1421,
+1-317-612-4859 (mobile), or Lauren Cislak, +1-317-655-0453,
+1-317-997-5180 (mobile)
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