Eli Lilly and Company has announced a $12 million gift to the United Way of Central Indiana. The total includes contributions from the pharmaceutical company's U.S. employees and retirees as well as a matching gift from the Eli Lilly Company Foundation.

The gift represents nearly 25 percent of the United Way of Central Indiana's 2009 annual campaign goal and will be used to support the annual campaigns of other United Way chapters in the state. Lilly, which received the 2009 United Way Spirit of America Award, is encouraging its employees to support United Way agencies and services in their local communities through donations of their time and talents and has also initiated a new strategy to help United Way attract individual donors in central Indiana by funding outdoor posters that promote the Live United online tool.

"As I go to work each day, I'm reminded of the economic and social challenges confronting our city and communities across the country," said Eli Lilly and Company president and CEO John Lechleiter. "I'm very proud of my Lilly colleagues who stepped up their efforts to ensure that Lilly not only met its [campaign] goal, but surpassed it by $1 million."