Lilly’s Connecting Hearts Abroad Program Sends Employees on Global Service Assignments

INDIANAPOLIS, March 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Eli Lilly and Company’s (NYSE: LLY)
new global service program, Connecting Hearts Abroad, is set to launch. Through
the program, the company is sending 200 Lilly Ambassadors to assist people and
communities that often lack basic resources. While serving others, the
Ambassadors will also gain a deeper, more intimate understanding of different
cultures and see firsthand the complex problems and opportunities associated
with improving human health in developing areas. The goal: to help others and
spark employees’ innovative ideas that will make Lilly a better company.

The first of 200 Lilly Ambassadors start their two-week assignments in New
Delhi, India, on April 2.

“Lilly has a long tradition of being both innovative and caring,” said John C.
Lechleiter, Ph.D., Lilly’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “Our
unique Connecting Hearts Abroad program combines these two passions. We’re
taking a novel approach to helping others. At the same time, we’re giving our
employees life-changing, eye-opening experiences that will make them more
passionate and knowledgeable citizens of the world. This is an investment in
developing communities, in our employees and in Lilly’s future.”

Two hundred Lilly employees from 38 countries were selected to participate in
the Connecting Hearts Abroad program in 2011. The Ambassadors will provide
assistance in developing communities in Asia, Africa, and Central and South
America. No specialized skills or expertise (for example, a medical background)
were required – just a passion for making a difference. Lilly Ambassadors with
various levels of expertise and experience will work together to create personal
connections with people and communities that face difficult challenges in health
care and beyond.

Lilly Ambassadors will provide hands-on support in the following four
categories:
— Health Care: Observing and assisting local health professionals, working
with people affected by HIV/AIDS
— Caregiving: Caring for the elderly, infants and children, and people
with disabilities
— Teaching: Assisting teachers of special education, teaching children and
teaching conversational English
— Community Development: Sharing professional skills and experience,
working toward women’s empowerment.

The Ambassadors will share their experiences with Lilly’s 38,000 employees while
on assignment and when they return through internal blogs and other
communication channels. The goal is to start conversations and involve the
entire organization in the experiences of the Ambassadors to spark new ideas
about how Lilly can better meet people’s needs – now and in the future.

More than 1,800 Lilly employees from 52 countries applied to Connecting Hearts
Abroad; 200 were selected in February for the inaugural year of the program.
Each service assignment will have 8 to 9 Lilly employees from a variety of
global business functions – including lab technicians, marketing associates and
manufacturing specialists. Ambassadors include management, hourly and salaried
non-management employees.

“Connecting Hearts Abroad is another step toward Lilly’s vision of improving
global health in the 21st century,” said Lechleiter.

Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS)

Lilly is partnering with Cross-Cultural Solutions, an international
not-for-profit organization that operates short-term volunteer programs in 12
countries. CCS is a recognized leader in the field of international volunteering
with a strong track record of supporting volunteers in developing countries and
creating professional, safe, life-changing experiences.

“CCS and Lilly have strikingly similar missions – to serve and to improve
lives,” said Steven C. Rosenthal, founder and executive director of
Cross-Cultural Solutions. “Lilly’s commitment to send 200 employees on service
assignments is bold and unprecedented. It represents the largest corporate
partnership to-date for CCS, and the largest launch of an employee volunteer
program at an international scale like this. Through the CCS volunteer programs,
Lilly employees will touch lives and, in return, have one of the most memorable
experiences of their lives.”

Lilly Corporate Responsibility

Lilly is shifting its corporate responsibility focus and will increasingly
concentrate its resources in areas where society’s needs intersect with the
company’s areas of expertise and focus – a concept known as “shared value.”

Lilly’s main area of focus will be on improving health for people in need around
the globe – specifically, people in low- and middle-income countries who lack
the resources to obtain quality healthcare.

Connecting Hearts Abroad has the potential to play an important role in these
efforts. “We know that our best solutions to difficult health challenges will
likely come from the innovative ideas generated by our employees,” said Robert
L. Smith, senior director of corporate responsibility and president of the Lilly
Foundation. “To foster this kind of innovation, we want to expose employees to
different cultures and environments. By changing our frame of reference, we
increase the probability of generating breakthrough ideas.”

Added Smith: “Like many companies, Lilly historically viewed corporate
responsibility largely as a financial commitment. That’s changing – and for the
better. While traditional CR activities – like philanthropy – have a role to
play, they alone won’t generate the long-term solutions required to address
society’s most challenging problems. We know we can have a greater impact if we
focus our efforts and expertise to create shared value – for society and Lilly.”

Beyond Lilly’s primary focus in health care, the company is also investing in
efforts to improve public education in the United States, specifically K-12 in
Lilly’s home state of Indiana. Lilly also supports people and local communities
through the United Way and other similar efforts, and is committed to being a
good steward of the environment.

Connecting Hearts Abroad – 2011 Destinations and Start Dates

April 2 New Delhi, India
April 16 Bangkok, Thailand
April 16 Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
May 1 Yaroslavl, Russia
May 7 Salvador, Brazil
May 7 Volta Region, Ghana
May 28 Xian, China
June 25 Guatemala City, Guatemala
August 6 Bangkok, Thailand
August 20 Salvador, Brazil
August 27 Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
September 4 Lima, Peru
September 24 Volta Region, Ghana
September 25 Cartago, Costa Rica
October 8 Salvador, Brazil
October 15 San Carlos, Costa Rica
October 30 Lima, Peru
November 5 Salvador, Brazil
November 19 Bangkok, Thailand
November 26 Volta Region, Ghana
December 3 New Delhi, India
December 4 San Carlos, Costa Rica
December 11 Lima, Peru

More Information

To learn more about Lilly’s Connecting Hearts Abroad, please refer to the
following resources:

www.lilly.com/

www.connectingheartsabroad.com

http://lillypad.lilly.com/

www.facebook.com/connectingheartsabroad

About Cross-Cultural Solutions

Cross-Cultural Solutions was founded in 1995, and has supported over 25,000
people to volunteer abroad in 12 countries around the world. As a not-for-profit
organization with no political or religious affiliations, CCS brings people
together to work side-by-side while sharing perspectives and fostering cultural
understanding.

To learn more about the participating countries and volunteer work please visit:

http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org.

About Eli Lilly and Company:

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing
portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its
own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific
organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers -
through medicines and information – for some of the world’s most urgent medical
needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com. CR-LLY

SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company