5 siblings' plea for single adoptive home gets huge response



TOPEKA, Kan. -- Kansas officials are hoping to find a permanent adoptive home for five foster care siblings after their being profiled by a newspaper drew an overwhelming response, forcing a Kansas adoption agency to pull the kids from their website.

After being featured last weekend in a Kansas City Star story, the two sisters and three brothers, ages 2 to 11 — attracted broad interest, according to Corey Lada of the Kansas Children's Services League, which contracts with the state to run AdoptKSKids.org. Interested adopters filled the league's voice mailbox, and the agency's email inbox got slammed with 1,500 responses, the Kansas City Star reported.

"It's pretty insane," Lada said of the outpouring of interest, which on Monday spurred the removal of the siblings from AdoptKSKids.org so placement workers could begin addressing the inquiries. "In 13-plus years of working here I've seen nothing like this. Nothing."

Lada said the children are living in separate foster homes, and placement workers hope to identify a family who will keep them together in Kansas.

Last weekend's Star story identified the children only by their first names, describing the oldest, Bradley, as "the music lover." Layla, the middle child, is "already planning to save sick or injured animals when she grows up," and the youngest, Olive, "loves to be cuddled" whenever she "slows down long enough."

Kansas has about 1,200 children in state custody and seeking adoption.