Lessons from Lima: A New Way of Thinking

In 2014, Lilly will send 100 employees from our global operations to serve in impoverished communities across the world as we mark the fourth year of our Connecting Hearts Abroad global employee volunteer program. To date, about 600 Lilly employees have volunteered as ambassadors in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe. Many can recall experiences similar to Veronika Kopecka, a Lilly colleague who traveled from her home in the Czech Republic to volunteer in Peru in 2013. Here is Veronika’s story as she shared it with our corporate responsibility team.

Lessons from Lima: A new way of thinking

It had been a long day. I opened my e-mail and there was the message: an invitation from senior leadership to consider becoming a Lilly Connecting Hearts Abroad ambassador in 2013. I sat there for a moment and contemplated if two weeks of volunteer service in another country—one very different from my own, might offer another way for me to have a positive impact on the lives of others. I applied.

Then another e-mail arrived. I had been selected to serve as a Lilly ambassador in Lima, Peru. It was February when I received the news. Eleven weeks later, I was on a plane bound for Lima. My adventure had begun. But was I ready?

Read more about Veronika's experience here.