The foothills' pet shelters were the recipients of the public's love for actress Betty White when they received thousands of dollars in donations on Jan. 17, which would have been White's 100th birthday.
The #bettywhitechallenge was created nationally to honor White, who died on Dec 31. She was an animal-welfare activist, and she volunteered and served on the board of American Humane. After her death, fans on social media asked people to give $5 to a rescue, shelter or animal agency.
Both the Evergreen Animal Protective League and the Intermountain Humane Society were thrilled and appreciated the donations they received that helps them help pets find forever homes. Both used social media to remind area residents of the challenge.
EAPL received 98 donations on Jan. 17 totaling $5,400, far above a typical single day of donations. Plus a donation jar at the EAPL thrift store saw a number of bills dropped inside.
“People stopped in just to drop money in the jar,” said Elizabeth Pruitt, who runs the thrift store.
EAPL treasurer Cyndi Rice added that it was amazing to see the donations come in.
Intermountain Humane Society based in Bailey raised more than $7,000 in donations.
“For a shelter as small as ours to get $7,000 with very minimal effort on our part as far as pushing for donations … to get that much was amazing,” IMHS programs director Lacy Cook said.
Representatives from both organizations called the donations amazing, and Cook sees the support as a nice way to remember a well-loved celebrity and hopes it can continue.
“It was just a really nice outpouring, and people coming together and honoring a lady we have all seen on TV,” she said. “I think it would be awesome if we could make it happen every year.”
