Summit Financial Resources/MassMutual to Sponsor Disability Awareness Night at New York Yankees Game

Kathleen Gilroy • 617-723-4891 • kgilroy@madisoncommunications.com
Patrick Collins • 617-553-0349 • pcollins@madisoncommunications.com

Honors contributions made by, and on behalf of, 54 million Americans with disabilities

New York, NY – The cause of people with disabilities will take center stage August 16 when Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), in cooperation with Exceptional Parent Magazine and the New York Yankees, sponsors Disability Awareness Night at Yankee Stadium at 7:05 p.m.

In addition to honoring local champions of the national awareness campaign to bring attention to the 54 million Americans with disabilities and special needs, the event will provide an opportunity for 250 clients and staff of local disability organizations to attend the ballgame thanks to free tickets donated by Summit Financial Resources of Parsippany NJ, and Exceptional Parent. Among the groups benefiting from Summit Financial's generous donation of tickets are:

• The Eastern Christian Children's Retreat of Wyckoff, NJ, a nonprofit organization serving the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities through a congregate care center, community-based group homes, and short-term respite care.
• P.G. Chambers School of Cedar Knolls, NJ, which provides comprehensive educational and therapy programs for children with special needs.
• The Arc of Somerset County, which provide advocacy and services for persons with developmental disabilities and their families.

Disability Awareness Night honors the contributions of individuals with disabilities, their families and caregivers. Among them is Dr. Philip DeFina, Ph.D, founder, chief executive officer and chief scientific officer of the International Brain Research Foundation, who will receive the EP Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award at a pre-game, home plate ceremony. Presenting the award will be Sal Salvo, a MassMutual SpecialCare Planner with the Family Wealth Institute (www.thefamilywealthinstitute.com), a Summit Financial affiliate.

“Given MassMutual's longtime support of people with disabilities and other special needs and their families, we are extremely proud to be calling attention to their cause through our sponsorship and participation in the Disability Awareness Night program,” said Salvo, who began helping families develop financial strategies for loved ones with disabilities after learning his now adult daughter has Rett Syndrome, a childhood neurodevelopmental disorder.

“MassMutual's SpecialCare SM program helps parents and caregivers effectively integrate financial analysis into a thorough customized life plan for individuals with special needs,” added Salvo. “Our goal, and the goal of those we honor, is to help people with disabilities to live dignified and fulfilling lives.”

Dr. DeFina is a leading researcher, author, lecturer and clinician who, as CEO of the International Brain Research Foundation, spearheads collaborations among top neuroscientists, such as Sandlin Lowe III, MD and E. Roy John, PhD, and among research facilities, such as the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, by facilitating and coordinating cutting-edge research.

Dr. DeFina is currently a faculty member, chief neuropsychologist, and director of neurotherapies at the Neurometric Evaluation and Treatment Center for the New York University School of Medicine's Brain Research Laboratories, where researchers continue to make ongoing progress in identifying and explaining the complexities of certain brain disorders.

Also to be recognized will be Steven Domalewski, a 12-year-old boy who was hit in the chest by a line drive during a baseball game in Wayne, N.J. in June and lapsed into a coma. Domalewski – who will not be in attendance – has shown continuing signs of progress in recent weeks under Dr. DeFina's care. Accepting the award on his behalf will be Steven's siblings, Arlene and Jimmy.

The EP Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award is named for the late founder and former editor-in-chief of Exceptional Parent who was an advocate for people with disabilities and other special needs. Exceptional Parent is the nation's oldest and most widely read and referred to publication of its kind, reaching a wide 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.

This year marks the fifth year of Exceptional Parent's Disability Awareness Night (DAN) program, which began in 2002 with the cooperation of the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Since then, many professional ball clubs have joined the unique, emotional and powerful program of recognition and awareness.

About MassMutual Financial Group

MassMutual Financial Group is the fleet name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliates, with more than 13 million clients and over $395 billion in assets under management at year-end 2005.

Founded in 1851, MassMutual is a mutually owned financial protection, accumulation and income management company headquartered in Springfield, Mass. MassMutual's major affiliates include: OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; Babson Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC; and MML Investors Services, Inc. MassMutual is on the internet at www.massmutual.com.

About Exceptional Parent

Based in Johnstown, PA, 35-year-old EP Global Communications, Inc. 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 and community outreach programs such as the national Disability Awareness Night (DAN) campaign developed through the EP Foundation for Education, a 501(C)3 company. Exceptional Parent Magazine has received many prestigious awards, including the 2000, 2001 and 2003 FOLIO: Gold Medal Awards for editorial excellence; and the New Freedom Award for Best Magazine & Web site in 2003 from the New Freedom Foundation. EP Global Communications, Inc. is not an affiliate or subsidiary of MassMutual and its affiliates.

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