In honor of the 100th birthday of Betty White, a campaign dubbed the #BettyWhiteChallenge took shape on social media, intended to raise money for the charity Actors & Others for Animals, of which White was on the Board of Directors. After her passing on New Year's Eve, just a few weeks shy of her centennial birthday, the campaign then took on a life of its own.
Fans of the star donated nearly $13 million dollars for animal shelters and rescues around the country via Facebook and Instagram, with 100% of the money going directly to the organizations.
Two shelters in Philadelphia raised nearly $100k combined in donations, an LA zoo charity raised $70k, an Arkansas shelter raised $12k, and shelters in Iowa brought in $13,000.
Prior to her 100th birthday and her passing, Betty had recorded a video, which her team then shared posthumously on her Instagram page. In it, she says, "I just want to thank you all for your love and support over the YEARS. Thank you so much, and stick around!"
"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," said a spokesperson from Betty White's team.