Today’s the day!

Today, January 17th 2022 would have been animal advocate Betty White’s 100th birthday. Sadly, she didn’t quite make it, so we need to celebrate for her.

Betty was outspoken about her passion for animals of all kinds. She was a friend to countless animals through her own donations of time, funds, and her own celebrity.

Now it’s up to us. The #BettyWhiteChallenge taking place today is a virtual event asking fans to donate $5 to animal rescues or shelters in Betty White’s name.

Betty had probably never heard of the shelters I’ve listed below, but they are ones where I’ve visited, and in some cases, volunteered, myself. They are just a small sampling of the great, deserving rescues and shelters in the world, so whether you choose one of them to pitch in your $5, or pick somewhere else, let’s light up the internet with this special day of giving in Betty’s name.

House of Dreams, Portland OR

“House of Dreams provides shelter and care for abandoned and homeless cats, with the goal of finding them permanent homes or providing them a lifetime home in our facility. We are a free-roam, no-kill, all-volunteer cat shelter located in Portland, Oregon. We are one of the only area shelters with facilities for Feline Leukemia positive (FeLV+) kitties.”

http://www.kittydreams.org/support

Oregon Humane Society, Portland OR

“Oregon Humane Society rescues, heals and adopts more than 11,000 pets each year. We never place a time limit on how long cats, dogs and other pets stay at our shelter. OHS relies on donations to support our adoption, education, and animal rescue programs.”

https://www.oregonhumane.org/donate/

Cat Adoption Team, Sherwood OR

“Every donation to CAT goes to work immediately for cats. Gifts support everything from foster care and adoption services to spay/neuter surgeries and lifesaving medical care—everything it takes to give cats their best chance to have healthy lives and find loving homes.”

https://catadoptionteam.org/support/

Amigos de los Animales (Mazatlán Humane Society) Mazatlán, Mexico

“We are dedicated to providing a much needed service to the community.  Our goal is to create an environment free of homeless dogs and cats. Our primary mission is to act as a refuge for homeless animals. We make our best effort to adopt the animals we receive into an appropriate home. Our focus is to promote the humane treatment of domestic animals through education, pet population control (spay/neuter), rescue and adoption.”

http://www.amigosdelosanimalesmaz.com/Contact-Donate.html

South Pacific County Humane Society, Long Beach WA

“Our shelter relies on the kindness and generosity of our supporters to fund the needs of the homeless cats and dogs in our care, and to support community programs such as our Pet Food Bank and spay and neuter assistance, both for low-income residents.”

https://beachpets.com/make-a-difference-ways-to-give/

Furry Friends, Vancouver WA

“A no-kill cat rescue and adoption organization. We help cats in the Vancouver-Portland Metropolitan and surrounding area receive the medical care and forever home they deserve. Operated solely by volunteers, our Mission is to rescue abused, abandoned or otherwise homeless cats and house them in a safe, healthy and socialized environment until we find new “forever homes” for them. ”

https://furryfriendswa.org/donate/