NEW ORLEANS - Reese Witherspoon says she wants families affected by Hurricane Katrina to know they haven't been forgotten. The Oscar award-winning actress was among a delegation of women who toured devastated parts of the city last week.

"I feel really like it's absolutely imperative that myself and this delegation of women have gotten together to come down and show that we haven't forgotten, we still care about these children, we are going to continue to lobby for these children," Witherspoon told ABC's "This Week," which aired Sunday.

Witherspoon, who has a daughter and a son with husband Ryan Phillippe, says children are "such a common denominator."

"Once you have children in your life, you can no longer close your eyes to people who are in a similar situation," she said. "And I feel really blessed to be able to be on this side of it, but I also recognize the huge responsibility that we have to these people. And I will never forget this experience."