Fighting against foreclosure: frustrated families turn to Florida Attorneys Saving Homes.

Sonya Daws is a Tallahassee real estate lawyer with 23 years experience and she's never seen a foreclosure crisis this bad.

Donna Longfellow works at a Wal-Mart bakery in nearby rural Crawfordville, struggles to feed her children and fears losing the family's home to foreclosure.

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The two women met through Florida Attorneys Saving Homes, a collaborative effort launched in July by The Florida Bar; The Florida Bar Foundation; Florida Legal Services; and the Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section, designed to provide pro bono assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure. The Business Law Section and the Young Lawyers Division have also joined the effort.

"I think it is an awesome program the Bar has come up with, and I was honored to take them up on it," said Daws, who has picked her pro bono causes through the years, such as doing closings for Habitat for Humanity and helping with adoptions of disabled people. Since real estate law is her specialty, this seemed like a perfect way to give back.

"Especially for someone like Mrs. Longfellow, trying to make ends meet. I can be her voice and advocate and try to structure something. I will tell you that Mrs. Longfellow is one of the most decent people I have had the pleasure of working with. Her story is one I hope we can convince IndyMac Bank to listen to and work with," Daws said.

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Whether the Longfellows' story will have a happy ending is not yet known. Even though Donna and her husband Ronnie Longfellow work full-time, their combined monthly income of $3,000 doesn't stretch far enough to cover their $1,185.59 mortgage payment which has increased 21 percent in the past two years because of rising insurance rates, on top of a 10.89 percent interest rate for their mobile home.

Donna Longfellow and Daws explained the domino effect of circumstances that has put the Longfellow family in dire straights.

For 14 years, Donna Longfellow was a Publix deli manager, making pretty good money. She has four children at home, ages 9, 13, 17, and 18.

Two years ago, Donna Longfellow retired from Publix to stay home and help her children with homework and the various school functions that kept them busy.

When husband Ronnie became ill, and was unable to work for awhile, Donna had to go back to work and found a job at the Wal-Mart bakery that paid $800 a month less than her former Publix job.

"Meanwhile, two children from her husband's previous marriage moved in...