INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Employees of Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co. have logged more than 1 million hours of volunteer time during their global day of service.
That mission of service is making a difference in Indiana. Kent Kramer, president and CEO of Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana, said, “Since 2018, over 3,000 individuals have volunteered their time though this project, and we’re so very grateful.”
Goodwill is one of the key partners for Lilly’s Global Day of Service, a one-day, volunteer effort that aims to inspire employees to give back to their communities. The initiative brings together thousands of volunteers in more that 65 countries each year.
“Not only do they do a clothing drive during this time, they deploy people into many of our sites. In retail sites they help with production, hanging clothes, building endcaps and making the store look pretty. In an outlet, they’ve produced books, and set up processes. We have a manufacturing facility where they’ve come in with consultant services.”
Goodwill also operates 19 high schools, called The Excel Center, a free public school that gives adults the opportunity to earn an Indiana Core 40 high school diploma. “Employees have come in and helped with resume writing as well as interviewing skills. It’s been a great, great partnership across our entire organization.”
Crickett Carmichael, senior associate of communications and community outreach at Lilly. says the Lilly Global Day of Service inspires her to make life better for her neighbors every day. “I am never prouder to be a Lilly employee than I am on the Lilly Global Day of Service. By working with local organizations such as Goodwill, I get a whole new perspective on the barriers experienced by families faced with poverty right here in Indianapolis, where we live and work. Lilly’s purpose is to unite caring with discovery to create medicines that make life better for people around the world.”
For partners like Goodwill, it’s impact is felt long after the day of service ends. Kramer said, “What that does is it amplifies our mission, it allows us to employ more people, educate more people, and serve more people.”
The Global Day of Service takes place each September on the last Thursday of the month.
