Massmutual Donates $125,000 To Non-Profit Organizations

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Aug. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Massachusetts Mutual

Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) has awarded$125,000 to eligible

non-profit organizations through its annual Community Service Awards

(CSA) program. The awards are given on behalf of MassMutual financial

professionals who demonstrate outstanding commitment to non-profit

organizations in their local areas.

Through the CSA program, now in its 16th year, MassMutual awards one

$25,000 grant to a non-profit in recognition of a financial

professional's extraordinary dedication to volunteerism. The program

also awards ten $10,000 grants to non-profit organizations across the

country on behalf of financial professionals who have provided

exceptional voluntary service.

This year's $25,000 grant was awarded to Rick Van Benschoten, a

financial professional with MassMutual's general agencyFifth Avenue

Financial Group in New York City, for his work with the Covenant House

New York, which provides food, shelter, immediate crisis care, and

essential services to homeless children.

"MassMutual's Community Service Awards program aims to encourage and

recognize those financial professionals who selflessly give their

time, talent and resources to help non-profits continue to do great

work in their communities," said Nick Fyntrilakis, Vice President of

Community Responsibility, MassMutual. "Volunteering is valuable for

both the community and volunteers. We are proud of the dedication to

non-profits that many of our financial professionals have shown and

are pleased to award these grants in their honor."

Each CSA recognizes the many selfless hours of volunteer time and

talent members of MassMutual's sales force put in during the year to

improve their communities. Since the program's inception in 1996,

MassMutual has contributed more than $1.2 million to charitable

organizations across the country.

The CSA program is just one of a variety of philanthropic programs

sponsored by MassMutual in support of non-profit organizations where

its financial professionals volunteer. Last year, in total, MassMutual

contributed more than $735,000 in community service award grants and

matching gift donations to organizations throughout the United States

in honor of its sales force.

The following financial professionals have been awarded grants for

their local non-profit organizations:

Winner Organization Agency

Deanna Filosa Literacy Volunteers of America Suffolk County Inc.Woodbury, NY

Shelley Fiore Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis of Michigan, Inc.Farmington Hills, MI

E. Hough Johnson III Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Virginia Virginia Beach, VA

Linda Hunter-Suzman Seattle Children's Playgarden Seattle, WA

Brendan Kenny Cristo Rey New York High School New York, NY

Michael S. Kipniss Camp Kudzu, Inc.Atlanta, GA

Kevin Paasch We Promise Foundation Virginia Beach, VA

Joseph Rhyne III Lincoln County Public Education Foundation Charlotte, NC

Rick Van Benschoten Covenant House New York New York, NY

James M. Wehr Loudoun Habitat for Humanity Vienna, VA

Gregory Williams Jordan Education Foundation Salt Lake City, UT

About MassMutual

Founded in 1851, MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company

that is run for the benefit of its members and participating

policyholders. The company has a long history of financial strength

and strong performance, and although dividends are not guaranteed,

MassMutual has paid dividends to eligible participating policyholders

every year since the 1860s. With whole life insurance as its

foundation, MassMutual provides products to help meet the financial

needs of clients, such as life insurance, disability income insurance,

long term care insurance, retirement/401(k) plan services, and

annuities. In addition, the company's strong and growing network of

financial professionals helps clients make good financial decisions

for the long-term.

MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts

Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated

companies and sales representatives. MassMutual is headquartered in

Springfield, Massachusetts and its major affiliates include: Babson

Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone

Real Estate Advisers LLC; The First Mercantile Trust Company;

MassMutual International LLC; MML Investors Services, LLC, Member

FINRA and SIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; and The MassMutual Trust

Company, FSB.

For more information, visit http://www.massmutual.com or find MassMutual on

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+.

Contact: Laura DeMars 413-744-7181

SOURCE MassMutual

-0- 08/02/2012

/Web Site: http://www.massmutual.com

CO: MassMutual

ST: Massachusetts

IN: FIN

SU: NPT CSR

PRN

-- NY50756 --

0000 08/02/201214:00:00 EDThttp://www.prnewswire.com