Special Olympics and MetLife Foundation Announce International Partnership

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#metlifefoundation–Today, Special Olympics and MetLife Foundation, the philanthropic
arm of global insurer MetLife, announced a $1.5 million, three year
international partnership to expand Special Olympics Young Athletes
across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (“EMEA”). Young Athletes
is an inclusive sport and play program for children, ages 2 to 7 years
old, with and without intellectual disabilities. The program develops
participants’ basic sport skills, such as running, kicking and throwing.
It also offers families, teachers, caregivers and people from the
community the opportunity to share the joy of sports and being part of a
team.

“Special Olympics and MetLife Foundation have a shared commitment to
building strong inclusive communities,” said Special Olympics CEO Mary
Davis. “MetLife Foundation’s support of Young Athletes, together with
its strong focus on employee engagement, encourages all children, their
families and people in their community to promote respect, acceptance
and inclusion for people with disabilities.”

Building on the successful activation of MetLife’s Community Week,
MetLife employees in its EMEA region will be offered opportunities to
volunteer at Young Athletes activities as part of this new partnership.
In total, MetLife and MetLife Foundation’s financial and community
commitment will help Special Olympics programs in the region to
sustainably increase participation numbers to more than 15,000 children
over three years. An increase in Young Athletes participation will
ensure children will have access to critical early childhood programs
and develop motor, social and cognitive skills that will help them be
successful in the future.

Michel Khalaf, President, MetLife EMEA and MetLife Foundation Board
Member, added: “MetLife has a rich tradition of supporting the
communities it serves. This partnership builds on our long-standing
relationship with Special Olympics and will enable MetLife’s employees
to deepen their volunteering experience while helping to establish the
Young Athletes initiative across our region.”

To read more about the partnership and learn about the Young Athletes,
visit www.specialolympics.org
and www.specialolympics.org/young-athletes/.

About Special Olympics

Special Olympics is a global movement that unleashes the human spirit
through the transformative power and joy of sports, every day around the
world. We empower people with intellectual disabilities to become
accepted and valued members of their communities, which leads to a more
respectful and inclusive society for all. Using sports as the catalyst
and programming around health and education, Special Olympics is
fighting inactivity, injustice and intolerance. Founded in 1968 by
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown to more
than 4.5 million athletes in nearly 170 countries. With the support of
more than 1.4 million coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics delivers
32 Olympic-type sports and more than 108,000 games and competitions
throughout the year.

Visit Special Olympics at www.specialolympics.org.
Engage with us on: Twitter @specialolympics,
fb.com/specialolympics,
youtube.com/specialolympicshq,
instagram.com/specialolympics
and specialolympicsblog.wordpress.com.

About MetLife Foundation

MetLife Foundation was created in 1976 to continue MetLife’s long
tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Since
its creation, MetLife Foundation has provided more than $744 million in
grants and $70 million in program-related investments to organizations
addressing issues that have a positive impact in their communities.
Today, the Foundation is dedicated to advancing financial inclusion,
committing $200 million to accelerate progress globally.

Together with our partners, we have now helped 1.5 million people in 39
countries gain access to financial products, services, and institutions
that they need to build better and more secure lives.

To learn more about MetLife Foundation, visit www.metlife.org

About MetLife

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates
(“MetLife”), is one of the largest life insurance companies in the
world. Founded in 1868, MetLife is a global provider of life insurance,
annuities, employee benefits and asset management. Serving approximately
100 million customers, MetLife has operations in nearly 50 countries and
holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin
America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.

Contacts

Media:
MetLife EMEA
Jonathan Bunn, +44 (0)
207-715 2463
Jbunn@metlife.com
or
MetLife
US
Nandika Margavkar, 212-578-5707
nmadgavkar@metlife.com
or
Special
Olympics
Burson Marsteller
Nicole Daniel, 212-614-4087
Nicole.Daniel@bm.com