Lilly annual Global Day of Service: Projects include making masks, sending postcards to frontline workers

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A massive, yearly event aimed at improving Indianapolis starts Thursday and it’s the Lilly Global Day of Service.

Employees around the world are volunteering through virtual and remote projects. More than 8,000 workers locally are working on a handful of projects.

There is a long list of projects. Employees nationwide will participate in blood drives with the American Red Cross. Locally, a big project includes teaming up with Special Olympics Indiana for the 1,000-mile step challenge.

Other projects in Indianapolis include making 15,000 masks. Three thousand will be given to patients at Eskenazi Health, 2,500 to Goodwill employees and 9,000 to veterans. Plus, a handful will go to nursing home and early childcare center workers.

Lilly employees will also send 10,000 postcards to frontline workers, thanking healthcare heroes for going the extra mile.

Another project includes developing virtual STEM materials to be used in Indianapolis Public Schools through e-learning or in the classroom.

Without the volunteers, the projects wouldn’t happen.

“They truly are putting in more hours in volunteering than maybe they have on previous Days of Service,” said Nicole Chase, corporate responsibility consultant at Eli Lilly and Company. “And of course we want to thank them.”

Employees are also volunteering to support racial justice. The company has committed 25,000 volunteer hours to racial justice issues over the next five years. Several of the projects Thursday count towards those hours.

In total, Lilly employees from 65 countries are participating. The company says social impact efforts are more important than ever right now.