HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- There is an increasing number of children growing up without parents in our region.

The foster care system is overwhelmed trying to find them homes, but it's even more difficult to find homes for children with special needs.

There is one woman, however, who is dedicating her life to not only helping, but raising these children.

Rhonda Farley says she's just another mom. But those who know her say she is so much more than that. "Saint," "queen," and "great woman" are all superlatives used to describe her.

But what is it about her that has everyone at Necco, a foster care agency in Huntington, singing her good graces?

"I'm a mom to the kids that come into my home," Farley said.

Having one child with special needs has its challenges, but having the team she does makes for an entire different ball game.

Still, there's one selfless act that sticks out. It centers around a cold winter night and a blue-eyed baby boy. He was left at the hospital when his parents found out he's born with a defect impacting the frontal lobe of his brain.

When the folks at Necco learned about him, they knew exactly who to call. Farley asked just one question: "Can I see him?"

When she did, there was no going home without him.

"I believe we were led to this baby," Farley said. "I believe you can do miraculous things if you put your mind and heart in it."

If you ask her why she did it, it's no miracle, actually, but pretty simple.

"Every child needs someone to come home to -- even an 18- year old needs a mom and dad," Farley said tearfully.

Rather than stand in the spotlight as our latest Hometown Hero, Farley insists on shedding light to a deeper problem, one that plagues are region every day -- hundreds of kids needing parents.

"There are a lot of bad things out in the world right now, but there is a lot of good too," she said. "You can be a positive change for these kids and show them that good exists, because a lot of kids don't know that."

Farley is in the process of adopting the baby and his brother in the story.

The folks at Necco foster care say they have great people stepping in as temporary parents and they need more who can love these kids the way Farley does.