(OKLAHOMA CITY – Oct. 14) Frederick attorney Mike Evans and his wife, Vonnie, recently joined other Oklahoma Bar Association volunteers to help fund and construct a home for a limited income family in Spencer. Volunteer lawyers, in partnership with Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity, began framing “The Jim F. Gassaway Justice House” in September and will continue construction through October.

Evans serves as OBA president. He chose “Making a Difference” as the OBA theme for 2005 to emphasize the importance of public and community service among lawyers, which inspired the bar’s first-time partnership with Habitat. His fundraising efforts helped the state bar raise more than $65,000 to build the house, located near Oklahoma City.

Other Frederick lawyers making financial contributions to the home’s construction were Clyde H. Amyx II, Brad Benson, Loyd Benson, Ty Johnson, John Patrick Kent and Anthony M. Massad.

The home will be completed Oct. 27, and a dedication ceremony will be held Nov. 3 in conjunction with the OBA Annual Meeting. The house was named to honor past OBA president Jim F. Gassaway, who died in May.

OBA Vice President Rick Bozarth of Taloga said the Justice House is “a great opportunity for our lawyer volunteers to observe the changes and improvements that their individual efforts make to the project and the lives of the Justice House family.”

Sharie Northington and her two children, eight-year-old Davion and five-year-old Aubrey, were selected by Habitat for Humanity as the Justice House family last spring. They applied for a Habitat house more than a year ago.

“It’s been a long process, but it’s totally worth it,” Northington said. “I was looking at other people getting houses, and their mortgages were so expensive. With Habitat, I can do this. It is a blessing.”

House payments for Habitat homes are set at 20 percent of the homeowner’s gross monthly household income. The homeowner’s payments are recycled to build more homes for families in need.

The 15,000-member Oklahoma Bar Association, headquartered in Oklahoma City, was created by the Oklahoma Supreme Court to advance the administration of justice and to foster and maintain learning, integrity, competence, public service and high standards of conduct among Oklahoma's legal community.