I Choose Indy!

On May 15, 2008, more than 8,000 Lilly employees volunteered with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. on the largest corporate service day in Indianapolis’ history. More than 60 projects throughout Marion County were designed and completed. Amongst the efforts, 2,000 trees were planted, 18 school grounds were enhanced, and on Madison Avenue, dramatic murals were created for residents and 30,000 motorists who travel this gateway to downtown each day.

The theme that inspired the day, “healthy living, healthy learning, and healthy locales,” is far more than a slogan.

The trees are cleaning our air and water, and are making our neighborhoods more safe and livable; the butterfly gardens and habitats created by Lilly folks, students and Eagle Scouts sustain other living things we human beings deeply appreciate. Hundreds of students worked side by side with Lilly volunteers, getting their hands dirty, learning in service, and through their accomplishments, have grown in their pride for, and sense of ownership in, their home town.

The neat thing about Lilly’s Day of Service is that the projects, and all of the fun, hard work, and individual acts of generosity within them, create lasting benefits that are more than the sum of each of these parts.

Working with students quite literally is an investment in our future. Youth who volunteer are twice as likely to do so as adults.

We have many reports of Lilly folks getting to know each other, getting reacquainted, and having renewed pride in the company for which they work. Companies that volunteer together improve relationships and productivity in the office.

Paint applied to a half mile of concrete on Madison Avenue and the Monon Trail contributes to the cultural life of our city. But the bright colors and lively scenes also honor the talents and possibilities that lie within the Manual High School students who first conceived the designs, and the skills of the local professional artists who advised them.

And, seeing the thousands volunteers, whether it was a sea of them on Madison Avenue, or a much smaller number planting, picking up, or hauling honeysuckle away from Pleasant Run, helps us at Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. know that the fundamental values of regard for one another, our city, and our environment are alive and well in Indianapolis.

David Forsell is president of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc., a non-profit organization that unites people to beautify the city and improve its environment.