Wichita ? Fifteen-year-old Ana Rogers bucked the odds when she and her four siblings found an adoptive home after years in the state’s foster care system.

Often separated from her siblings, Ana had lost hope until three years ago when Susan Rogers adopted the brood and another child she had cared for since infancy. Susan Rogers, a single mother and foster parent from Partridge, hopes to provide a home for more children.

“I’m up for it,” Ana said. “I’ve been in that same position, and I know what it feels like. I’d like to help other kids out.”

The Kansas Children’s Service League has launched “Coming Home Kansas,” a statewide campaign to help hundreds of other adoptable children – many with experiences similar to those of Ana and her siblings.

Of the more than 1,600 foster children in the state seeking homes, more than half are 12 or older or are part of sibling groups that hope to be adopted together. Both are factors that reduce their chances of finding a home.

“This is a community need that demands a community response,” said Tina Long, family recruitment director for the league.

“These are kids who have had some challenges in life, but they are good kids. What they need is the support, the stability and the love that a permanent family can give them.”

As part of its campaign, the league is working with newspapers and other media outlets that have agreed to feature profiles of Kansas children awaiting adoption.

By introducing a few of the many children in foster care, the group hopes to address misconceptions that prevent potential parents from considering adoption.

“There’s a feeling that maybe these children are damaged, that you can’t help a child who’s older because the damage is already done,” Long said.

“And that’s just not true. These kids are, by and large, just like the kids next door. They play soccer. They’re in Girl Scouts. They like to hang out with friends and ride bikes. They’re just normal kids.”