Centre County animal shelters see surge in donations from Betty White Challenge
The viral Betty White Challenge brought in thousands of dollars on Monday for animal shelters in Centre County.
The challenge asked for donations to be given to local shelters in honor of the late Betty White, who was a known animal lover. Fans of the actress donated to animal shelters across the country on Monday, what would have been her 100th birthday.
Centre County PAWS received more than $12,000 in donations, far surpassing a $5,000 goal the nonprofit set for the day. At least 358 people donated through Facebook campaigns, PayPal, or mail-in donations.
Lisa Bahr, executive director of Centre County PAWS, was “thrilled” when the Facebook fundraiser passed the goal Monday morning, making it the largest amount the shelter has received through Facebook.
“We felt like we were pushing ourselves to get the $5,000 on Facebook, so when we got to that point and then kept going and kept going, all the while still getting donations from PayPal, we were just absolutely floored,” Bahr said.
The original goal amount was to cover the medical costs of Rose, a one-year-old Chihuahua abandoned at Allegheny Spay and Neuter Clinic with two broken front legs. Rose, named after White’s character in the TV show “Golden Girls,” will go in for surgery on Friday.
After hitting the shelter’s $5,000 goal, Centre County PAWS posted on Facebook about Alaska, a 3-year-old cat with an unknown skin condition who will be able to receive diagnostic testing and care due to the extra donations.
The shelter hosted a livestream on Facebook to show both Rose and Alaska, who will be available for adoption after they’ve recovered.
The additional donations will go to the shelter’s On The Mend fund to help other animals heal from injuries or illness.
Centre County PAWS was not the only local shelter to benefit from the viral challenge — both Pets Come First and Centre Wildlife Care received donations as well.
Pets Come First received $6,750 in online and mail-in donations, according to a Facebook post.
Centre Wildlife Care is also accepting donations, which will be matched by the Centre Foundation until Jan 28.
