Kay Smith of Tupelo became a foster parent six years ago because she loves raising children.

After her two oldest children had left the house, she, her husband, Michael, and their youngest daughter, Kayla, 16 at the time, went through Youth Villages foster parent training together to learn the skills to help children in need of foster families. There are many reasons why children need foster families like the Smiths. Parental abuse, neglect and drug abuse are some of the most common reasons. For the Smiths, it came naturally to offer their love and their home to helping these children.

"I became a foster parent because I wanted to share my love with children who don't have a loving family," Mrs. Smith says.

During the six years the Smiths have been foster parents, they fostered six children and offered respite care to many more children who needed a home for just a weekend or a few days.

The children they fostered were between 3 and 16 years old. The Smiths currently are foster parents to a little girl. But the Smiths say they enjoy fostering children of all ages.

"I enjoy the communication with the older kids," Mrs. Smith says. "When they open up to you and begin to talk about their lives and dreams. It makes me feel rewarded when I gain their trust. I love being the person they have never had in their lives -- the person they can trust, who is dependable, responsible and loving."

The Smiths get support in helping their foster children from Youth Villages and their daughter Kayla and her husband who live on the same street as the Smiths. Kayla plans to become a foster parent herself.

"Kayla was always so happy about my being a foster parent," Mrs. Smith says. "It was her dream to have a big family. She went through the PATH training with us and now wants to become a foster parent as well."

Foster parenting can be stressful, but the rewarding moments make it all worthwhile, Mrs. Smith says.

There have been many rewarding moments for her.

"I had a child who came to our home fighting and cursing and severely abused," she remembers. "We worked with her and worked with her, and she eventually began to calm down. She told me she loved me and wanted to stay with me in our home. That was one of the most rewarding moments for me."

Mrs. Smith says she would love to see other families in Tupelo and the surrounding area to become Youth Villages foster parents. To be a good foster parent, she says, people need to have patience, love and understanding for children who have had hard lives. They need to put the needs of the children before their own.

"I try to do everything to make my foster children feel secure and comfortable," Mrs. Smith says. "I work very hard with their social workers to make it possible for the child to return home to his or her family. I hold them when they cry and encourage them. I tell them things won't always be so bad."