Betty White – Hollywood legend whose light shone brighter than anyone, even during her final days. She was in the industry for decades and people first knew her as one of the Golden Girls. Even after the hit series wrapped, Betty remained active in the spotlight.
The world mourned when they lost the great Betty White. This year, she was supposed to celebrate her 100th year on earth. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Still, people remember her not just as a great actress but a staunch defender of animals as well.
The world has somewhat dimmed since Betty’s passing, but there are those who continue to pass on her legacy by raising money for the causes she truly believed in. JoAnne Worley and Loretta Swit were among the celebrities who started a campaign on social media. They called this the #BettyWhiteChallenge, as which the name suggests, was a celebration to honor of Betty White’s 100th birthday.
Sadly, this queen of comedy passed away on New Year’s Eve, mere weeks before her centennial celebration which was originally set on January 17th. While one would expect the rest of the world to move on, many realized just how loved Betty was. Hence, the campaign took flight still and was able to raise millions for animals all over.
Actors & Others For Animals, a charity for which Betty was a member of and had served on the Board of Directors, launched the campaign. They were asking for donations of $100 just for the beloved actress’ 100th birthday. Countless groups benefitted as well because those who looked up to this lady started sending in money to local shelters, giving donations under her name.
A total of around 400,000 people made use of social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram to donate to the challenge that was made. Incredibly, they had raised an impressive $12.7 million dollars for animal shelters and rescuers found all across the country. The best part is that a hundred percent of the pledges will be given straight to these organizations.
With the money raised, two Philadelphia shelters brought in $100,000, a Los Angeles zoo charity got a total of $70,000, an Arkansas shelter was a proud recipient of $12,000, and the Dubuque, Iowa shelters received a whopping $13,000.
Before her death, Betty had prepared a video to share on her 100th birthday. This was recorded just mere days before her passing, and her team, knowing that people would appreciate this, posted the video on her Instagram page. They treated this as her farewell greeting to the people who loved her as much as they did.
Betty had said, “I just want to thank you all for your love and support over the YEARS. Thank you so much, and stick around!”
Moreover, her team of people also added an update from the #BettyWhiteChallenge to the video that was recently posted. They said, “As we continue to see numbers coming in from all over the world, it’s just absolutely amazing how much money all of you raised for animals.” And we can only hope that more shelters can benefit from this virtuous and honorable cause.
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True Activist / Report a typo
