Photo provided Eli Lilly and Co.
FOR NEARLY nearly 150 years, Eli Lilly and Company has discovered and developed innovative, lifesaving, life-changing medicines for people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Globally, the company’s 44,000 employees focus on health care issues that help make life better for people worldwide.
“I am proud to be part of a company where we invest our time, our expertise, and our resources to drive social impact in the communities where we live and work,” says Cynthia Noemi Cardona, Vice President of Social Impact for Lilly.
“Lilly was founded here in Indianapolis, and we feel a great responsibility to do our part as a responsible corporate citizen,” Cardona says. “We have gone beyond the medicines we discover and deliver. Our employees are always excited to support the community, and we do that in lots of different ways.”
One example is the annual Lilly Global Day of Service during which Lilly employees spend the day volunteering in their local communities.
Lilly employees and retirees also donate to the United Way of Central Indiana campaign, as well as other United Way chapters throughout the U.S., and other year-round employee giving programs with eligible nonprofits across the U.S. These eligible donations by Lilly employees and retirees are matched by the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation (Lilly Foundation), a separate, private foundation established in 1968 and supported by donations from Lilly. In 2023, over $12 million in Lilly employee and retiree donations to eligible nonprofits in the U.S. were matched by the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation.
This year, Lilly is proud to serve as the presenting sponsor for Indianapolis Monthly’s Indianapolis Gives Challenge, a new online fundraising initiative and friendly competition between Central Indiana nonprofit organizations. The challenge runs from December 2 through December 12. It will provide a fun, interactive platform for organizations to connect and engage with the community, gain new supporters and awareness, and win prizes of $75,000.
“We think this is a wonderful opportunity to make an impact across Central Indiana,” Cardona says. “It’s during the holiday season. And it’s a way to connect individuals with opportunities to learn more about the nonprofit organizations who are doing important work in Indianapolis and beyond. We are really excited to see the impact it will have on the community and the participating organizations.”
It’s just one more way for Lilly to connect with the Indianapolis community and to support efforts to bring awareness to different nonprofit organizations in the community—in line with Lilly’s social impact approach to making the community stronger.
“We hope that by creating this opportunity for people to learn about the various nonprofit organizations, that any charitable effort that’s put forward gets amplified and magnified, so that even more people can benefit from a positive impact.” Cardona says. “We’re thankful and grateful to all the nonprofit organizations that are doing the hard and important work that they do, day in and day out.”
