L.A.'S FOSTER CHILDREN NEED LOVING FAMILIES.

Byline: Nancy Daly Riordan Local View

THERE'S no part of American life that we hold more dear than our love of family and our belief in building a strong future for our country by raising our children well. Yet there are children in crisis every day in our communities who need our help and can't ask for it themselves.

Today in America, there are more than 600,000 children in foster care. And while most of the boys and girls are in foster care temporarily, more than 130,000 of them will never go back to their biological families. That's a harsh fact that these vulnerable children live with every day. By finding loving, permanent homes for them, we can create a better reality, and future, for these children and our country.

As an adoptive parent myself, I know that giving children ``forever'' families makes a powerful difference in their lives. And thanks to changes in state and federal law, adoption from foster care is easier than ever before - regardless of age, gender, race or marital status. As an example of how things have changed, a third of foster care adoptions are now by single parents.

Many prospective parents do not know that adopting children from foster care is virtually free. In addition, Congress has made federal tax credits available for these adoptions to help offset required fees, court costs, legal and travel expenses.

Today, a growing number of companies and government agencies offer adoption benefits as part of their employee benefit packages, including time off for ``maternity leave,'' financial assistance and other benefits.

Now, all these children need is a leap of faith and courage from adults with love to share.

The statistics on children in need are particularly stark here at home. Los Angeles County is home to the nation's single largest population of abused and neglected children. Nearly one-third of all children in Los Angeles live in poverty, and more than half a million rely on public food or cash assistance to survive. More than 56,000 children in Los Angeles currently live in foster care with thousands more entering the system each year.

Congress recently took steps to help these children by approving an extension of the Safe and Stable Families Program Act. This bipartisan bill provides money to states to help prevent child abuse and neglect, keep families together and find permanent homes for children in foster care. In addition, this legislation helps support children as they age out of foster care by making available vouchers for technical and post-secondary education.

However, more must be done to help these children, to give them that sense of love and security that only a loving, permanent family can provide. That's why I urge all adults and families to think about adopting children from foster care and experience a lifetime of rewards.

I've been impressed to see so many organizations, such as the Children's Action Network here in Los Angeles and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, joining efforts to find homes for these children.

And we have been fortunate that celebrities like Mariah Carey, 'N Sync, Stevie Wonder, Destiny's Child, Faith Hill, Muhammad Ali and Dustin Hoffman donate their time and talents to ``A Home for the Holidays,'' an annual television special that shines a spotlight on the joys of adoption and waiting children.

There is even a national Web site (www.adopt.org) and toll-free number (800-525-6789) for prospective parents.

It is important for us as adults to remember that many foster children are in the system because their birth parents weren't protective and nurturing caretakers - not because they themselves did anything wrong.

All these children need is what most of us got without even trying: the security of waking up in the same bed every day, and the support of a network called ``your family'' to carry you through the ups and downs of growing up. Teaching the children what it means to have a family is a lesson that will benefit us all.