Rosie Aims to Foster Concern for Kids

Rosie O'Donnell speaks at a press conference about National Foster Care Month on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Charge of the celeb-advocates, Part 2: Rosie O'Donnell.

Cause: The Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2009, about $20 million for mentoring and awareness programs.

Backup: Sen. Mary Landrieu, Rep. Joe Crowley and former foster kids, yesterday in the Russell Senate Office Building.

How she looked: Very tan, dressed head to toe in black -- tunic, cropped pants, thick-soled shoes.

Remarks: Earnest appeal to attract more mentors for foster kids. "You want to entice the right kind of people with the right kind of motives," said O'Donnell, who fostered two children herself.

Observation: Doubled as a free commercial for Lifetime TV movie "America" (O'Donnell stars as a therapist for foster teens).

Whom we passed up for her: Richard Gere at CARE's annual fundraiser and "Project Runway's" Tim Gunn, lobbying for designer copyrights; the latter told a Hill staffer not to wear cropped pants.