MassMutual Sponsors Disability Awareness Night & Honors Contributions Made By, and On Behalf Of, 54 Million Americans With Disabilities

Press Release from Mass Mutual Financial Group

Tuesday July 6, 2004

CHICAGO, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) in conjunction with Exceptional Parent Magazine and the Chicago White Sox will sponsor Disability Awareness Night tonight when the White Sox meet the Anaheim Angels at US Cellular Field, Chicago. Exceptional Parent Magazine will donate 250 game tickets to several local disability organizations on behalf of MassMutual's Chicago agency headed by David Pearre II, who has a special needs child.

The night will pay tribute to the contributions of 54 million Americans with disabilities, their families and caregivers. At a pre-game ceremony at home plate, Mr. Joseph M. Valenzano, Jr., president & CEO of Exceptional Parent, will present the EP Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award to Damon Denham, a child chosen by the White Sox and by Easter Seals as a result of Damon's exemplary spirit. Mr. Matt Winter, executive vice president of MassMutual Financial Group, will present the identical award to Jim Williams, president and chief executive officer of Easter Seals nationwide. Williams' leadership continues to influence the delivery of much-needed services for people with disabilities at more than 500 centers in communities across America through Easter Seals' network of nearly 100 affiliates.

The awards given to Mssrs. Denham and Williams are named after the founder and former editor-in-chief of Exceptional Parent who was an advocate for people with special needs and who passed away in 2000. Exceptional Parent is this nation's oldest and most widely read and referred to publication of its kind reaching a vast audience of physicians, nurses, therapists, teachers and families involved in the care and development of children and adults with disabilities and special health care needs.

"MassMutual has long supported families' efforts to provide for the long- term needs of people with disabilities," said Mr. Winter. "Through its innovative SpecialCare(SM) program, MassMutual helps parents and caregivers effectively integrate financial analysis into a thorough, customized life plan for individuals with special needs. We're proud to be able to offer such a program in Chicago.

"Disability Awareness Night honors the unsung heroes of our community who persevere despite unbelievable odds," said Mr. Winter. "MassMutual is committed to helping people with disabilities afford to live dignified and fulfilling lives."

Disability Awareness Night began in the summer of 2002 when Exceptional Parent Magazine combined forces with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to create the first sponsorship of its kind. In 2003, 14 teams participated in Disability Awareness Night; in the 2004 season 27 of 30 teams have elected to participate.

MassMutual Financial Group -- comprised of member companies with more than $285 billion in assets under management as of year-end 2003 -- is a global, growth-oriented, diversified financial services organization providing life insurance, annuities, disability income insurance, long-term care insurance, retirement planning products, structured settlement annuities, trust services, money management, and other financial products and services. The MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing designation (or fleet name) for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliates, which include OppenheimerFunds, Inc., David L. Babson & Company Inc., Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers, Inc.; MML Investors Services, Inc.; The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB; Antares Capital Corporation; and MML Bay State Life Insurance Company; C.M. Life Insurance Company, and MassMutual International, Inc. MassMutual International has operations in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Bermuda, Chile, Luxembourg, Macao and a representative office in Shanghai. MassMutual is on the Internet massmutual.com

Based in River Edge, NJ, 33-year-old EP Communications is an integrated communications company providing information for families and professionals involved in the care and development of people with disabilities and special healthcare needs. EP uses a multi-media approach to disseminate information via: its publication, Exceptional Parent; Web site (www.eparent.com); custom communications projects; the EP Library of disability books; live and on-line seminars developed through the EP Foundation for Education, a 501©3 company. Exceptional Parent Magazine has received many prestigious awards, including the 2000, 2001 and 2003 FOLIO: Gold Awards for editorial excellence; and the New Freedom Award for Best Magazine & Web site in 2003 from the New Freedom Foundation. EP Communications is not an affiliate or subsidiary of MassMutual and its affiliates.

For more information:

Mark Di Giorgio at  413-744-7722