More than 8,000 volunteers from Eli Lilly and Company took the day out of the office and took part in projects to clean up and protect the city's waterways.
Lilly partnered with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful to launch one of the first big events for the Reconnecting to Our Waterways initiative.
Volunteers split into groups to cover six main waterways including Fall Creek near the Ivy Tech campus.
"A big part of Reconnecting to Our Waterways is the science of a better city, so every component of a destination location we’re working on has an educational component to it. Ivy Tech has decided they will create outdoor learning labs and educational opportunities," said Sherrie Bossung, community outreach director for Eli Lilly and Company.
Along Fall Creek, volunteers removed invasive plants to give native plants room to grow and expose more of the creek for the public to see and use.
"So many places in our city water flows and it's beautiful but we can’t see it, so after this people will realize that this is a water city. It's going to be a very dramatic change,” said David Forsell, president of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful.
Reconnecting to Our Waterways is a grassroots vision to clean up and protect the areas around and the neighborhoods near Fall Creek, Pogue's Run, White River, the Central Canal, Pleasant Run and Eagle Creek. More than 100 organizations are involved in the long-term plan.
"This is what we’re drinking! We want it to be clean we want it to be appreciated and become almost like a network that connects people," said Forsell.
Lilly volunteers also took the Indiana State Fairgrounds to clean up the landscaping work and paint fences and buildings.
Forsell said he hopes the event inspires others to get involved in beautifying the city. You can sign an action plan to do your part at the website for Reconnecting to Our Waterways.
Click here for more information about Lilly’s Day of Global Service.
