Throughout my 28 years at Astellas, I have grown my passion for volunteering, both at work and in my personal life – which has led me to my role as Astellas’ Volunteer Champion. I feel lucky to be able to give back to the community – and to work for a company that encourages me to #TakeADay through the Astellas Volunteer Time Off program to make a positive difference. This year, our goal is 15,000 hours of volunteerism – a 50% increase over last year.

Astellas offers its employees five days off per year to volunteer in our community at nonprofit organization of their choice. It is a great – and unique – opportunity to bring the skills we use to make a difference every day as an Astellas employee to the world around us. Most recently, my team and I volunteered at Lambs Farm, a non-profit organization near Libertyville, Illinois, that provides vocational and residential services for over 250 adults with developmental disabilities, by making baked goods for them to sell in their holiday store.

#TakeADay gives us a chance to bring what matters to us to our everyday lives as Astellas employees – helping our communities to live smart.