Fans raise thousands of dollars for animal shelters as part of the Betty White Challenge

Betty White holds an adorable puppy.
(Image credit: David Livingston/Getty Images)

Animal shelters and charities across the United States saw an influx in donations on Monday, thanks to the late, great Betty White.

The actress, who died on New Year's Eve, was an advocate for creatures great and small; she once said, "I stayed in show business to pay for my animal business," and also quipped, "animal lover that I am, a cougar I am not." In her honor, fans on social media started the Betty White Challenge, encouraging people to donate $5 to animal rescue organizations on Monday in celebration of what would have been White's 100th birthday.

Her admirers understood the assignment. Denver's 9 News reports that animal shelters and charities in the region saw a massive increase in donations on Monday — the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, which is offering assistance to pets and their families displaced by the Marshall Fire, raised $15,000 as of Monday afternoon, and the Denver Dumb Friends League brought in $23,000 from more than 700 donors.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

At Foothills Animal Shelter, community engagement manager Joan Thielen told 9 News by late afternoon, the facility had received $16,300 from 529 donors. When there isn't a campaign going on, the organization typically gets less than $500 in donations. In a Facebook post, the Foothills Animal Shelter said it was "overwhelmed with gratitude for all the good humans who have donated today in honor of Betty White. We are positive she would have been so proud of this community on her birthday today."

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.