Announcements

2005 Sargent Shriver Award for Equal Justice Honoree: Morgan Spurlock

The Shriver Center is pleased to honor Morgan Spurlock with the 2005 Sargent Shriver Award for Equal Justice for Distinguished Achievement in Raising Awareness of the Plight of Minimum Wage Workers in the United States today.

The challenges of life on minimum wage were brought to light by Mr. Spurlock’s current project, the TV series 30 Days on the F/X Network. The premiere episode, “Minimum Wage,” featured Mr. Spurlock and his fiancé struggling to make ends meet for 30 days in Columbus , Ohio . From the day-to-day struggle to afford basic needs to the lack of health care, the documentary captured the largest issues relating to minimum wage workers in the United States.

Mr. Spurlock also wrote, directed, and starred in the feature-length documentary Super Size Me (2004), the third highest grossing documentary of all time. The film, a 30-day experiment where he subsisted only on McDonald’s food, also investigated fast food in America . Mr. Spurlock received numerous awards for the film, and it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary. He followed up Super Size Me with his first book, Don’t Eat This Book, released in May 2005 to critical praise. Additionally, the Educational Enhanced version of the film will soon be shown in the nation’s schools.

The next project for Mr. Spurlock is another TV series on Comedy Central, Public Nuisance, a more irreverent look at social issues in the vein of Michael Moore’s TV Nation. Mr. Spurlock is also planning another documentary film for spring 2006, and he hopes to continue creating new episodes of 30 Days.

Mr. Spurlock, originally from West Virginia , currently lives in the East Village of New York with his vegan fiancé Alexandra Jamieson and their manly cat Sue.

Train-the-Trainer Workshop Set for October 3–4

A financial education instructor training session featuring the updated edition of Your Money & Your Life will be held on October 3–4 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law ( 50 East Washington Street, Suite 500, Chicago).

The fall train-the-trainer session is an ongoing project of the Financial Links for Low-Income People, or FLLIP, coalition coordinated by the Shriver Center. The fee is $116 per person and covers instruction, the instructor manual, materials, handouts, and food. To register, contact Hannah Avellone at 312.368.8575 by Wednesday, September 21.

Interested in All My Money instructor training? Contact Karen Chan (kchan@uiuc.edu) for information on upcoming sessions in Chicago (September 16, 23) and Lake County (September 23, Oct 5).

Federal Practice Manual for Legal Aid Attorneys

The Federal Practice Manual for Legal Aid Attorneys is available online and in print form at a new reduced price ($35). Go to www.povertylaw.org to download the PDF version. Print copies can be ordered from Nancy Carey at 312.263.3830 ext. 223.