For Immediate Release Media Contacts: Karen Lavariere-Sanchez, MassMutual Angela Giovanello, Mullen for MassMutual MassMutual Campaign Drives Awareness of Challenges Facing Families with Children with Special Needs Springfield, Massachusetts, July 17, 2012 -- With 20 million American families having at least one member with special needs¹, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) is launching a campaign to raise awareness of the important decisions and financial challenges they face. MassMutual’s Facebook initiative encourages the company’s social community to get a glimpse into the day of a mother and child with special needs. For every “like” to the video generated on the Facebook app, MassMutual will donate $5 to the Easter Seals’ Make the First Five Count® program², which promotes awareness and facilitates early identification of disabilities and development delays. Additionally, the tab will link to helpful resources from MassMutual and Easter Seals for families with members with special needs. Today, five million children under the age of five are at risk for a disability, developmental delay or autism³, but last year only 20 percent of them received the critical early intervention services they need to reach their full potential4. At a time when Americans are increasingly under significant financial pressures, MassMutual believes it is imperative for all families to have the necessary information and qualified resources to get their financial house in order. “From medical costs to guardianship, we recognize the tremendous responsibility faced by parents of special needs children,” said Joanne Gruszkos, director of MassMutual’s SpecialCaresm program. “Our highly trained financial professionals, including Special Care Planners and those with the Chartered Special Needs Consultant designation are uniquely positioned to provide support and guidance for these families throughout the entire planning process.” MassMutual’s SpecialCaresm program provides access to information – from how families can provide the best care for their loved ones to how they can plan for today and the future. Financial professionals with the ChSNC designation receive advanced training in estate and tax planning, special needs trust, government programs and the emotional dynamics of working with people with disabilities and other special needs. MassMutual first introduced the Special Care Planner training program in 2004. Then in 2010, MassMutual worked with the American College to deliver the more rigorous Chartered Special Needs Consultant designation, which builds on the Special Care Planner training but requires completion of several additional classroom hours and a series of exams. MassMutual’s two education tracks have exclusively helped its financial professionals better understand and provide counsel to parents and caregivers of people with disabilities and other special needs. “When it comes to autism and other disabilities, early identification and early intervention are key for both the children at risk and their families, said James E. Williams, Jr., president and chief executive officer of Easter Seals. “It is important that families have access to qualified financial professionals who can guide them through what can be an overwhelming but necessary process.” For families of special needs children, MassMutual says the most important things to consider when implementing a financial strategy are:
About MassMutual 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, MemberFINRA andSIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB. For more information, visit www.massmutual.com, 'like’ MassMutual on Facebook, follow MassMutual on Twitter, follow MassMutual on LinkedIn, and add MassMutual to your circle on Google+. About Easter Seals CRN201407-162734 1 Wang, Q. (2005, July). Disability and American Families: 2000. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau. 2 Up to $25,000 3 National Survey of Children’s Health, 2007 4 U.S. Department of Education, ideadata.org |