COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio organization is celebrating a milestone in their mission to find permanent, loving homes for children and teenagers in foster care.

Central Ohio-based nonprofit The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption announced 15,000 children have been adopted from foster care over the last 20 years through its Wendy's Wonderful Kids program.

More than 10% of the adoptions were here in Ohio, the first state to fully implement the program.

Rita Soronen, the president and CEO of the foundation, said while the milestone is cause for celebration, there's much more work to be done.

"Our ultimate goal is that no child lingers in fostercare waiting to be adopted, that we very quickly move them into permanent homes through this program," Soronen said. "We'd love to see those banner periods of 20,000 children, 25,000 children, because we know every year in the United States, about 20,000 children age out of foster care without a family. So we want to make sure that doesnt happen any longer."

For more information, visit https://www.davethomasfoundation.org/