Recently, 50 Astellas employees volunteered for the day at Lambs Farm – a nonprofit organization in Libertyville, Ill., that provides support services to people with developmental disabilities.

“It’s wonderful to see our employees come together to give back to an organization they are so passionate about,” said Mark Niemaszek, vice president, Commercial Operations. “After initiating our partnership several years ago, I’m thrilled to continue our relationship with Lambs Farm by volunteering to support the wellbeing of its residents. In bringing together employees from across our company to give back, it’s very humbling to see the impact this work has made in the lives of the communities we serve.”

Several employees have dedicated their time to support Lambs Farm over the years. “It’s wonderful to volunteer with Lambs Farm year after year, this is my third year volunteering at the farm. I love building relationships with the staff and seeing the impact of our work,” said Stacy Stone, director, Commercial CRM, Information Systems at Astellas. “In addition to the June visit, we have a team that visits the bakery between October and December to help them prepare for the holidays. It is wonderful to have five days of volunteer time to support an organization and mission that I care so deeply about.”

As part of the day of service, Astellas employees painted, mulched, packaged baked goods and cleaned up areas of the farm to maintain its beauty for visitors. Additionally, volunteers further supported the Lambs Farm mission by enjoying meals with their colleagues at Magnolia Café.

“Astellas has been a friend and loyal partner for many years. Each year, Astellas comes out and pours their heart and soul into Lambs’ mission of serving the developmentally disabled,” said Angela Ramert, Volunteers & Groups coordinator at Lambs Farm. “Astellas provides much needed support in the way of funds for projects, purchase of meals at our Magnolia Café and the amazing people power to get it all done. We truly have formed a friendship and our participants and staff look forward to their visit each year. We are most grateful for all of the generous improvements that they have provided throughout the years.”

Through employees’ passion for volunteerism, and the company’s commitment to giving back, Astellas is helping to advance Lambs Farm’s mission to help people with developmental disabilities lead productive and happy lives. Additionally, by continuing to encourage team members to take time to volunteer through the ‘Take A Day’ program, which offers five paid days off to volunteer, employees continue to make an impact at charitable organizations that are important to them.

About Corporate Citizenship at Astellas
Living SMART® is the Astellas approach to preparing communities today for what can happen tomorrow. The Living SMART® framework brings together the strength of the charitable Astellas USA Foundation and our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) work to find the areas where we can make the most impact to improve lives. Astellas USA Foundation and Astellas CSR collaborate to create a positive impact on society through three overarching focus areas: health and well-being; Science WoRx® (STEM education); and disaster response. To read more about Living SMART, see the Astellas Americas Corporate Social Responsibility Report Card.