JENNIFER LOPEZ HAS CHILDREN on her mind — and not just her infant twins with husband Marc Anthony.

The 39-year-old singer/actress/entrepreneur is also thinking about the 93,000 sick and seriously injured children treated annually by Childrens Hospital Los Angeles — and how she can help.

Lopez announced Wednesday that she'll host and help coordinate the third Noche de Ninos benefit gala. This year's star-studded party, to be held Oct. 11 at the Nokia Center, will feature performances by Lopez, Anthony, Alejandro Sanz and Latin rockers Juanes and Mana.

Lopez, who was Noche de Ninos' first honoree in 2004, said her twin son and daughter inspired her to get more involved.

"Doing something where I was proactive ... where I was the one pushing and making something happen, that just became very important to me," Lopez told The Associated Press. "I don't know if it was because I was pregnant and thinking about children, thinking about the world. Definitely my children inspire me very much in so many ways, even just in the past two and a half months of their little lives."

"They inspire me to want to be better, to be a better person, to do something for the world, to set an example for them, to make them proud of me and to know that there's a certain way that you should live," she said. "I've been very fortunate over the years, but I've also worked very hard, and that's the example I want to set for my children."

Lopez said she was looking for ways to contribute more to the charity.

"I kind of fell in love with the kids," she said, "and it's just magnified now that I have my own children."

Working with her sister Lynda and Noche de Ninos founder Giselle Fernandez, Lopez came up with the idea of a concert and started asking friends for help.

"They've been very forthcoming with their time and, in this case, their talent to make this really a one-of-a-kind concert," she said, adding that she rarely calls to ask for favors. ("I don't ask for a glass of water when I'm on the set. It's just not my style.")

Written by the Associated Press
Photo by Peter Kramer/Associated Press

Posted by Express at 9:48 AM on May 14, 2008
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