Fremont Chinese School Wins $10,000 MassMutual Grant to Fund Additional Language Classes and Teachers, Provide Scholarships to Financially Needy Students

FREMONT, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
The Fremont Chinese School, a non-profit Chinese language and culture weekend
school supporting the Fremont community since 1972, has won a $10,000 grant from
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) as part of MassMutual`s
national Community Service Award (CSA) program. The Fremont Chinese School is
one of only ten organizations nationally to win the award. MassMutual made the
grant in honor of Mayling Way, a MassMutual agent with the San Francisco Bay
Area Insurance Agency in Fremont and a 15-year volunteer Chinese language
volunteer teacher with the school.

"Corporate responsibility and community involvement help form the bedrock of our
organization; they define and strengthen the core values on which MassMutual was
founded," said Trish Robinson, senior vice president of strategic communications
and community responsibility. "Mayling Way reflects MassMutual`s steadfast
commitment to the community by taking a leadership role with the Fremont Chinese
School," she continued.

The Fremont Chinese School focuses on promoting the Chinese language, culture
and heritage to both Chinese and non-Chinese members of the Bay Area community.
It has 850 students and 60 teachers and 70 staff members who are all volunteers.
No one who works with the school is paid for services. The school offers 43
language classes for K-12 students as well as for adults. In addition, it offers
extracurricular activities such as Chinese yo-yo, calligraphy, abacus, music,
dancing and more. The school also offers high school-level language courses now
accredited at many local school districts.

"We at the Fremont Chinese School are greatly honored to receive this Community
Service Award, especially in this difficult economic climate," said Alice Tong,
principal of the Fremont Chinese School. "We will be using the funds to continue
offering language classes to those students who do not have a Mandarin
environment at home, particularly to older students who generally have nowhere
else to go to get these classes. We will also use the funds to hire teachers who
can work with these non-Mandarin students, and we will be offering scholarships
to students who are having difficulty paying the school tuition," Tong
continued.

Mayling Way works out of the Fremont office of the San Francisco Bay Area
Insurance Agency and has been working in the community as a financial services
professional for eight years. She has been committed to the Fremont Chinese
School since her children were small and started at the Saturday School program.
For the last 15 years, Way has been teaching Chinese classes almost every
Saturday during the school year, from 9AM to 1PM.

"Mayling has been dedicated to supporting and encouraging the Chinese community
in the Fremont area throughout her career with our Agency. She is very committed
to and encouraging of those who want to maintain and learn Chinese language and
culture. Because of Mayling`s passion and the strength of her volunteerism as
well as her success as one of our agents, we are thrilled that the Fremont
Chinese School has been granted one of the generous MassMutual Community Service
Awards," stated Robert Fakhimi, CEO and General Agent of the San Francisco Bay
Area Insurance Agency.

More than 50 MassMutual agents from across the country applied for one of the
ten Community Service Awards this year, up 100 percent from last year.

"We`re seeing a growing need for help in communities across the country and a
growing sense of responsibility among our agents and general agents. MassMutual
is responding with a twenty percent increase in the CSA program, boosting the
number of awards this year from eight to ten," said Robinson. MassMutual has
funded $820,000 in CSA grants since the program began in 1998.

To register for the Mandarin classes for non-Mandarin speakers at the Fremont
Chinese School, prospective students may call the school at 510-468-9905.

Mayling Way can be reached at 510-789-2428 or by e-mailing her at
mway@finsvcs.com.

About MassMutual Philanthropy

MassMutual has a strong focus on education, economic development, arts and
culture. Employees at the company`s home office facilities in Springfield, Mass
and Enfield, Conn. - and the company`s nearly 90 general agencies across the
country - continually demonstrate our commitment to the community. In 2008, the
company awarded nearly $7 million in community grants, including more than $2.6
million in scholarships, and raised nearly $3 million for the United Way.
MassMutual is also giving away free life insurance to eligible families in need
across the country. The program is called LifeBridgeSM and MassMutual`s goal is
to give away $1 billion in free life insurance coverage. The LifeBridge program
provides a $50,000 ten-year term life insurance policy to the trust on the life
of a qualifying parent or legal guardian. The $50,000 death benefit is used to
pay for the educational expenses of their eligible children. The trust is
administered by the MassMutual Trust Company, FSB.

MassMutual`s Corporate Responsibility Report is available at:
http://www.massmutual.com/aboutmassmutual/communityresponsibility/giving

About the San Francisco Bay Area Insurance Agency LLC

As a MassMutual general agency, the San Francisco Bay Area Insurance Agency
leverages the resources of a 158-year old, Fortune 500 company with local
expertise on helping clients achieve their financial goals. The agency offers a
broad range of products and services, including life insurance, annuities,
disability income insurance, long-term care insurance, and retirement planning
products and services. The Agency is headquartered in Walnut Creek and has
additional offices in Fremont, Milpitas, San Francisco and Sacramento

Founded in 1891, San Francisco Bay Area Insurance Agency LLC is a significant
contributor to the local economy, as shown by the following figures about the
San Francisco Bay Area Insurance Agency (as of December 31, 2008):

* More than 36,000 policyholders and clients;
* Servicing over $676 Million in assets (including assets and certain external
investment funds managed by MassMutual and its subsidiaries)
* More than $4 billion in life insurance face amount in force

Robert Fakhimi is CEO and Managing Partner of the San Francisco Bay Area
Insurance Agency LLC. Mr. Fakhimi can be reached at 888-803-3631, ext. 320 or by
e-mailing him at rfakhimi@finsvcs.com. Securities and investment advisory
services offered through qualified registered representatives of MML Investors
Services, Inc., member SIPC, 2121 N. California Boulevard, Suite 395. Walnut
Creek, CA 94596,(925) 979-2300.

About MassMutual

MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life
Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales
representatives. 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 1860`s.
With whole life insurance as its foundation, MassMutual provides products to
help meet the financial needs of clients, such as life 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 affiliates include: Babson Capitol Management LLC; Baring Asset Management
Limited; Cornerstone real Estate Advisors LLC; The First Mercantile Trust
Company; MassMutual International LLC; MML Investor Services, Inc., member FINRA
and SIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc. and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB.

For more information, visit massmutual.com

Hot Tomato Marketing
Erica Zeidenberg, 925-631-0553

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