Lilly's seventh Global Day of Service rallies 24,000 employees in nearly 60 countries

News provided by

Sep 29, 2014, 12:01 ET

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On Oct. 2, some 24,000 Lilly employees spanning nearly 60 countries will participate in the company's seventh Global Day of Service. Building on Lilly's strong heritage of making life better, employees will join together in a single, coordinated effort to improve the communities where they work, live and play.

"I'm so proud of this tradition, and of our Lilly people who devote their talent and energy to strengthening the communities around the world where we live and work," said Dr. John C. Lechleiter, Lilly chairman, president and CEO. "On this special day each year, Lilly volunteers come together to accomplish what would otherwise take months or years, and in doing so make life better for people in their communities."

This year, Global Day of Service project leaders have worked with local organizations across the globe to determine how Lilly's collective workforce can have the greatest impact.

Below are a few of the 2014 international and U.S. Global Day of Service projects:

In India, 400 volunteers will be help local food banks in Delhi host a food drive, paint a classroom for school children and host an educational outing for 30 students as part of the Lilly NCD Partnership, a signature program designed to research new, comprehensive approaches to treat non-communicable diseases in countries with developing economies.
Lilly employees in South Africa will provide light to homes in Zandspruit, an impoverished area on the outskirts of Johannesburg, by installing "soda bottle lights," a simple, effective and sustainable way to light homes during the day.
In Taiwan, 100 Lilly volunteers will provide the opportunity for children and teens with autism to compete and have fun in educational activities that will allow them to develop cooperation, social engagement, and healthy life skills.
In the U.S., the Wills for Heroes Foundation and the Lilly Foundation are partnering with two U.S. law firms, Faegre Baker Daniels, LLP and Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, to provide free wills to 100 Indianapolis first responders.
Also in Indianapolis, 19,000 students at more than 50 Indianapolis Public Schools will participate in a FitnessGram program that assesses kids' flexibility, strength and cardiovascular capacity, thus providing information for physical education teachers and parents to help the kids achieve and maintain better fitness levels.

"Since our first year in 2008, Lilly volunteers have given more than 625,000 volunteer hours as part of our annual global day of service," said Rob Smith, president, Lilly Foundation. "While Lilly employees volunteer in big and small ways every day throughout the year, our global day of service is a wonderful opportunity for us to come together as one and give back to the people and communities we serve."

Individuals interested in following Global Day of Service activities can visit a new digital event hub, a real-time digital display that will showcase social media posts from projects around the world. To do so, visit www.LillyGlobalDayofService.com.

About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com and http://newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels. CR-LLY