It Was a Busy Global Day of Service
Most days at Lilly are pretty busy, but yesterday especially so. And while most days we have people researching the next breakthrough treatment for diseases such as Alzheimer's or cancer, yesterday was a little different.
Yesterday was our 6th annual Global Day of Service. From Indianapolis to Washington, D.C., to New Delhi to Tokyo, about 20,000 employees were doing everything from giving blood, fixing up centers for autism patients, making blankets for cancer patients, and harvesting fresh vegetables for the needy.
Our first Global Day of Service was in 2008. Since that time, more than 600,000 employee hours have been donated, and it's become an incredibly special day for our company. You can see an extra bounce in everyone's step. And the day really does include everyone. Our CEO, John Lechleiter, has been known to help clear brush along the side of a highway. Other executives have walked through water to help reconnect our waterways by pulling away debris and brush. I was taking a break from the normal routine to help create a mural on an inner city wall. (I knew those paint-by-number lessons would come in handy!)
You can see some of this work for yourself on our corporate Facebook page, where you'll see employees in places such as Portugal, Canada, Mexico, and The Philippines. In Indianapolis, projects included working at Indy Urban Organic Farms - which grows food for the needy - creating blankets for cancer patients, and lots of painting and general clean up.
It made for a good day and a better community.
