When Betty White died last New Years Eve, champagne had a bitter bite; Auld Lang Syne wrought mournful tears. Because the world lost more than a wry and impish comedienne of more than seven decades, it lost one of its staunchest animal advocates and activists.
White was 17 days shy of her 100th birthday, but the tributes to her life’s work on behalf of the voiceless swung into high gear almost immediately — and have reached epic levels.
What started as a modest $5 donation campaign to local rescue and conservation groups quickly steamrolled into a nationwide charity juggernaut. Thanks to #BettyWhiteChallenge, non-profits large and small have seen generous spikes in donations and thousands of its animal residents placed in forever homes.
More than $340,000 has poured in to Best Friends Animal Society and Sanctuary based in Moab, Utah. Other charities in the U.S. and Canada have each received hefty donations in excess of $30,000. During a livestream event, Country singing star, Patricia Yearwood, and talkshoplive matched donations made to Dottie’s Yard Fund inspired by a roadside stray who gave comfort to other homeless animals. Here in Oregon, the local Humane Society cleared its $5,000 goal to help care for 100 rescued animals.
At press time, Dream Team Angels Rescue (DTAR) in Grand Terrace, California, raised $610 bringing a huge smile to its ambassador, Xena Bulldog Warrior Princess. DTAR rescued Xena from a county shelter “when her breeder brought her in to be euthanized because he couldn’t sell her because she was paralyzed,” Alice Chow wrote on DTAR’s Facebook page. “Now Xena is under our care and love for the rest of her life.” Chow called White “a pawsome hero to hundreds of thousands of animals.”
White’s animal welfare and conservation efforts stretch back decades. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, White helped airlift endangered sea otters and penguins from New Orleans’ Audubon Aquarium to California’s Monterrey Bay Aquarium.
“She did not want any fanfare surrounding her part in the relocation,” an Audubon Aquarium spokesperson wrote in a statement. “She just wanted to help how she could. We are deeply saddened by the loss of a true friend.”
In addition to her supporting role on the Mary Tyler Moore Show and featured role on Golden Girls, White appeared in films and was a staple on several TV games shows in the 1960s. She enjoyed heightened popularity after hosting the 2010 Mother’s Day episode of Saturday Night Live and landing a lead role on Hot In Cleveland which led to a book deal and a talk show of her own. Still, she never called renewed public interest in her a “comeback.”
“I’ve been working steady for 63 years,” she told ABC News Nightline in 2010. “But everybody says, ‘Oh, it’s such a renaissance.’ Maybe I went away and didn’t know it.”
Betty White may have gone away, but the wake of generosity she inspired will be felt for lifetimes to come.