#BettyWhiteChallenge: How Gulf Coast Animal Lovers Can Honor Betty White on Jan. 17
The Betty White Challenge asks fans to donate $5 to local animal rescues on Jan. 17, what would have been the star's 100th birthday.
A social media movement is turning grief over the loss of Betty White into real help for animals — and Gulf Coast shelters are hoping local residents will take part.
The Betty White Challenge is a social media campaign that promotes animal care while remembering the late actress, who died Dec. 31 at age 99, just weeks before her 100th birthday. It asks participants to pick a local rescue or animal shelter and donate $5 in White’s name on Jan. 17 — the day she would have turned 100.
White’s love of animals was lifelong and well documented. “I have been such a zoo nut all my life that I practically am a zookeeper,” she once told Smithsonian Magazine. In 2010, the U.S. Forest Service made her an honorary forest ranger in recognition of that devotion, making her the honorary position’s first honoree.
The challenge channels that legacy directly to the shelters and rescue groups that need it most, many of which operate on tight budgets and rely heavily on small donations.
Animal lovers who want to take part can choose any rescue or shelter in their community — from Mobile and Baldwin County organizations to panhandle rescues — and give $5 or more on Jan. 17, then share their donation online with the #BettyWhiteChallenge hashtag to encourage others to do the same.
White’s record of animal advocacy
White’s advocacy went well beyond public statements. She served for decades as a trustee of the Morris Animal Foundation, which funds veterinary research, and sat on the board of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association.
