When television icon Lisa Powell replied: “Let’s all donate something to your local animal shelter on Betty’s birthday on January 17th in her honor! It’s the least we can do to still celebrate & honor Betty’s love of animals!! #RIPBetty #BettyWhite #ripbettywhite #BettyWhiteChallenge #BettyWhiteDay.”
It is unclear if Powell or someone else came up with the challenge, but the hashtag soon began trending on Twitter, with thousands spreading a message White would be proud of. She often spoke about her love for not just her own pets, but all animals.
“Oftentimes people would come up to her and say, ‘Oh, I want to show you a picture of my kids,’ and she’d say, ‘Oh, great!’” White’s “Hot in Cleveland” co-star Wendy Malick told Mo Rocca on
In celebrating that love for animals on social media, fans shared links to local animal shelters and groups like World Wildlife Foundation and zoos. “THINK of all the animals we would help. I’m IN! Please pass this on,” one Twitter user wrote. “Betty White was an animal advocate all her life. If all of Betty’s fans donated just $3.00 to an animal rescue, imagine how many animals would be saved in honor of Betty White,” another tweeted. White herself was a volunteer and board member of American Humane, the first national humane organization in the U.S. and the largest certifier of animal welfare in the world. She supported the organization’s “No Animals Were Harmed” program, which protected animals in film and television, helped fundraise, and even judged the nationally televised American Humane Hero Dog Awards. “For nearly a century, Betty White has been a tireless and devoted animal welfare advocate and we are proud to have known her for 70 years — longer than any other supporter in our history,” American Humane President and CEO Dr. Robin Ganzert said in a statement. “We bestowed our highest honor, the National Humanitarian Medal, on Betty because she reflected our core values of compassion, caring and hope.” Ganzert said White “dedicated herself to protecting and improving the quality of life for animals worldwide.” White died just shy of her 100th birthday, but last year, she shared her simple plans for her 99th, which included “feeding the two ducks who come to visit me every day,” she told Entertainment Tonight. Read the full article on the CBS News website.