After surge in donations, animal groups across Canada thank Betty White fans for being a friend
CBC
Animal rescue organizations across Canada saw a spike in donations this week as the world celebrated what would have been Betty White's 100th birthday.
Many people inspired by White's love of animals took part in the Betty White Challenge by donating to animal groups.
The Golden Girls star died Dec. 31, ahead of her Jan. 17 birthday.
After her death, a message with a hashtag citing the challenge spread rapidly on social media among animal lovers and organizations in the United States and Canada.
Jenna Bye, executive director of Save Our Scruff in Ontario, said the volunteer-run organization received $13,000. The support was heartfelt, the Burlington resident said.
"It feels special. As an organization that works really hard to support animals, it's really nice to, no questions asked, have people wanting to find a way to give even just a little and it's 100 per cent noticeable as an organization."
The amount was a huge spike to their usual donations.
Bye said she was also happy to see the topic of animal welfare highlighted.
"I also found online on [Monday], just so much tagging, so much animal welfare conversation happening. It was really just nice to see."
Across the country, animal rescue and adoption organizations raised tens of thousands thanks to the campaign, including:
The Hamilton/Burlington SPCA received over $32,000. Animal outreach manager Michelle Macnab said the donations will be used toward providing "care for the many animals in our shelter as they await their forever homes," as well as their Pet Wellness program.
Sarah Fahey said she donated to Save Our Scruff not just because of the challenge, but as a way to give back to the organization that helped her find her furry companion, Canelo.
"My boyfriend Chris and I started out fostering Canelo, but as we spent time with him and started putting in work [training, relationship building], we realized he was a great fit in our lives and applied to adopt him.
"I think that my donation was just a way to give back and support [Save our Scruff] because without them, we wouldn't have found Canelo — or he wouldn't have found us."
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