CLEVELAND — Animal shelters across the country and here in Northeast Ohio have been flooded with donations from the Betty White Challenge. It is a grassroots social media campaign that urged people to donate $5 to animal shelters in the star’s name before or on what would have been her 100th birthday on Monday.
“It’s unreal, we were astounded at the number of donations that came through the Betty White Challenge,” said Lori Caszett, Executive Director Lake Humane Society.
The Lake Humane Society got more than $15,000 in donations, according to Caszett.
“We were blown away,” Caszett said.
Donations are adding up at shelters in our area. The Cleveland APL received more than $52,000 in donations.
“This was a really meaningful and quite frankly a surprise. We are deeply grateful to everyone who donated and of course the late and wonderful Betty White,” said Sharon Harvey, Executive Director Cleveland APL.
In Elyria, The Friendship APL received more than $25,000 in money that will go to help the thousands of animals they help every year.
“It’s been amazing," said Greg Willey, Executive Director of Friendship APL. "This was a really great tribute."
The Portage APL received more than $10,000 in donations thanks to the viral challenge.
Betty White spent a lifetime supporting a variety of animal organizations and caring for all types of creatures. Now, even after her death, she is still helping animals that have no place to call home.
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