It's 1 a.m. at the Goin residence. The phone rings, I've got a crack-addicted foster baby,the caller -- a foster parent--says. What do I do? What can I expect? Don't worry, the groggy Goins respond. We'll put you in touch with another foster parent who has been through it before.

It's a typical night for the co-presidents of the Larimer County Foster Parent Association. Todd Goin , 35, and Alison Goin, 34, are on call 24 hours a day for the 75 families in the association.

They happily juggle the job with caring for their own four children and five foster children. And, of course, there's a living to be made. Todd is a Hewlett-Packard engineer. Alison holds down the fort.

The goins have been working in foster care for five years. They were Colorado foster parents of the year in 1995.

"We had extra room in the house, and we felt -- this sounds so stupid now -- we felt like we had a lot of love to give," said Alison, a cheerful woman with a ready laugh and long reddish hair. She wears a green shirt with Tigger on it, a bouncy cartoon animal she calls her signature.

The Goins had a rare quiet moment alone recently in their rural home near Masonville. A mound of clean laundry rose from the living room floor -- evidence of the four loads the family does a day. The dining room table was cluttered with homework supplies and every square inch of kitchen space covered with soda pop and other food. Remember, there are 11 mouths to feed here, plus pets.

Todd, who wears a full black beard and glasses, doesn't talk as much as his wife. But, when he does, every word counts. His humor is wry, as opposed to his wife's effusiveness.

"At this point, I don't know what we'd do just going back to having our own kids for any length of time," Todd said. "It would probably blow our minds, it would be so quiet."

It would likely blow the minds of those in the foster parent association, too. The couple have become pillars of the organization.

"They've done a lot for us as far as pulling us all together as a big family," said member Lana Wheeler. She noted the Goins have set up a network within the foster parent community so those needing information can ask other parents or those having problems can commiserate.

"There aren't that many new things that happen with foster care," said Todd. "They may be new to you, but somebody in the county has probably been through them before."

For example, foster parents might need advice on side affects of medication that foster children take. Or they might want to find out how to get children into special programs at school. The Goins also organize foster-child sitting so foster parents can get some respite.

"A lot of the problems we deal with are not from normal society," Wheeler said. "The people that really can tell you the most are the ones that have been there and done that."

The Goins have also started Bingo fund-raisers to cover foster parenting costs not met by the state. And they've founded a clothing bank, getting many donated items from clothing manufacturers.

Foster parents in the last year relied on the sense of community the Goins helped create after the deaths of three of their own. Foster parents Chris Szleszinski and Debbie Viens-Koretko died in a June plane crash, and Pete Justice recently died of a heart attack.

"They have extraordinary leadership qualities and have been able to create a really supportive network of foster parents, and that is extraordinary because foster parenting is probably the world's most difficult job," said Phyllis Stoner, specialized foster care coordinator for the Larimer County Department of Social Services.

Many of the 15 children the Goins have cared for over the last five years have returned to their biological parents. That can be tough for foster parents -- who feel protective of the children -- to handle, but Phyllis said the Goins have worked well with birth families.

"I had one biological father who said, 'You guys must be perfect parents,'" Alison said, "No way!... We get angry sometimes, sometimes we yell at the children."

Alison is quick to credit the couple's own children for the sacrifices they've made.

"Our own children are the ones that make a difference for these kids," Alison said. "They share their toys, they share their rooms. They share us."

A 6-year-old girl who recently joined the Goins as a foster child handed Alison a great yet poignant compliment.

The girl told Alison she was "the best mom I've ever had."

"I felt sad for her," said Alison, nearing tears. "I didn't want her to be saying that to me. I wanted her to be saying that to her own mom."

Maybe some day that little girl can. But for now, she has Alison and Todd to look after her.