Waterloo Region Record

‘We were just blown away’

Humane society expects to surpass $50,000 in donations from the Betty White Challenge

MARK BRYSON

The money started trickling in last week, setting the stage for a January day like never before.

The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo and Stratford Perth expects to surpass $50,000 in donations this week because of the Betty White Challenge social media movement that honours the beloved actress and animal-rights advocate who died Dec. 31.

White, best known for roles in “Golden Girls” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” would have celebrated her 100th birthday on Monday.

“We were just blown away with the number of donations that came in and how fast it happened, utterly blown away,” said Calla James, the local society’s director of community engagement and outreach.

“We’re seeing large numbers at humane societies across Ontario, numbers that I certainly didn’t expect, so perhaps I underestimated the power of Betty White. We knew it would be a day of giving, but I don’t know that I could have told you that we’d be hitting $50,000 in January, a month that is typically quiet for us.”

The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society reported Tuesday that it had received more than $120,000, the Toronto Humane Society surpassed the $90,000 mark, and the Guelph Humane Society received $30,000 in donations.

The Cambridge and District Humane Society had reached $18,727 by Wednesday morning, according to a Facebook post, with donations

still rolling in.

“We are so amazed, thankful, shocked and just overall moved by the amount of donations that have flooded into our shelter in honour of Betty White,” the Cambridge society posted. “What a tremendous difference she has made to the animal community!”

The numbers are staggering as people typically suffer “donor fatigue” in January, said James, after a busy giving season in December.

More than 1,500 individual donations came into the KW-Stratford Perth society on Monday alone, said James, compared to the average week that sees roughly 12 donations per day. The tally had reached $30,000 on Tuesday afternoon, $49,000 as of Wednesday afternoon and was sure to pass $50,000 by later in the day.

The monies raised will be used for the care and medical costs of our animals, both those in centres and in our foster program, as well as crucial programs and services that support our communities,” said James.

The exact origin of the Betty White Challenge is unknown but the movement started shortly after her death and picked up steam in the days leading up to Jan. 17.

The challenge was to pick a local animal shelter or rescue organization and donate $5 to it in White’s name.

The KW-Stratford Perth society paid tribute to White on Monday by sharing information about her work with the animal-welfare industry, such as 70plus years with the American Humane Society and a 35-year association with Guide Dogs for the Blind.

She was also a long-standing board member for the Los Angeles Zoo and a recipient of numerous awards for her volunteer work.

Social media commentators hope the challenge becomes an annual event, something James said the K-W-Stratford Perth society would welcome with open arms.

“If it does become an annual thing, maybe the day after could be #ThankYouBetty day,” she said.

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2022-01-20T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-20T08:00:00.0000000Z

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