Lilly to Celebrate Second Annual Global Day of Service May 20

Employees from New Zealand to California to volunteer in their communities

INDIANAPOLIS, May 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On May 20, red T-shirts will
once again blanket communities in the U.S. and across the globe as thousands
of Eli Lilly and Company employees donate their time and energy to improve the
health and well-being of their hometowns in celebration of the company's
second annual Global Day of Service.

Last year, more than 20,000 Lilly employees from more than 50 global locations
participated, making Lilly's Global Day of Service one of the world's
largest-ever corporate volunteerism events to take place on a single day. In
Indianapolis, Lilly's corporate headquarters, last year's event was a catalyst
that generated nearly 30,000 hours of volunteer time in a single day toward
community improvement projects in Central Indiana.

"From our company's earliest days, giving back to our communities has been an
important part of our mission. In addition, providing meaningful opportunities
for employee volunteerism and community service is critically important in the
recruitment, retention, and engagement of a talented workforce," said
Chairman, President, and CEO John Lechleiter, Ph.D. "For Lilly, this is
essential to our success, particularly at a time when we must work to
fundamentally transform our business. During these difficult economic times,
we believe that thoughtful investments in corporate social responsibility,
including the Global Day of Service, are not only the right thing to do for
our communities, they also make very good business sense."

Among the many projects taking place outside the U.S., employees in Singapore
are partnering with their local national park to assist with restoration
efforts on an island off the coast of Singapore. Employees will clean up trash
and debris to help preserve the local ecosystem and marine life. In Poland,
employees will renovate outdoor play areas, buildings and gardens at seven
orphanages.

And in Indianapolis, more than 9,500 Lilly employees will join Keep
Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB) and 60 local organizations to complete more than
50 community improvement projects within the city. In addition to KIB, local
partners include the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), Indy Parks,
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis, Boy Scouts of America, United
Way of Central Indiana, and Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS).

"We've built upon last year's success and the overwhelmingly positive feedback
from our employees and community partners around the world to take this Day of
Service to the next level," said Rob Smith, director of corporate
responsibility at Lilly. "We believe this volunteer event represents a
wonderful opportunity for organizations and individuals to come together in
common cause to improve the communities in which we live and work. We look
forward to even greater participation in the years to come."

Lilly's Global Day of Service is the signature event for the company's "Hands
and Hearts" program, which was launched in 2007 to enhance and encourage
employee involvement with nonprofit organizations. In 2008, Lilly's
philanthropic contributions totaled approximately $350 million, 80 percent of
which was product donations for patient assistance programs, the Lilly MDR-TB
Partnership, and international humanitarian causes.

About Lilly
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing
portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class 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

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090518/DE18430LOGO)

SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company

Carole Puls, +1-317-277-1421, +1-317-612-4859 (mobile), or Lauren Cislak,
+1-317-655-0453, +1-317-997-5180 (mobile)