The Betty White Challenge, seeking animal-shelter donations of $100 for her 100th birthday, moved beyond her New Year’s Eve passing. In fact, it may have gained additional participation in the sudden loss of the high-profile advocate. JoAnn Pileggi, FOX29 News, unleashed details of the fundraiser’s local success and special significance.

White’s animal advocacy was a large part of her professional life, as she wove it into numerous interviews, game-show mentions, and promotional appearances.

In 1982 — in the gap between the run of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the debut of The Golden Girls — she served as an ambassador fundraiser for Phila.’s Women’s Animal Center (WAC)

That organization transitioned to Bensalem in 2018.

Donations generated by White’s death and her birthday poured into the WAC, totaling more than $5,000.

Karen D. Lash, WAC Director of Development and Marketing, said, “[White] never wavered in her mission to support animals, and that’s her legacy. What a legacy that is,”

More on the Betty White Challenge and its WAC impact is at FOX29 News.