In honor of the late Betty White, fans are challenging each other to donate to charity for her 100th birthday. Betty White's career in began back in 1939, just after finishing high school. She currently holds the longest-running career of any entertainer at 82 years long. White has over 120 TV and movie projects to her name, earning her fame in the 1950s, and is best known for her role on The Golden Girls as Rose Nylund (1985-1992).
White recently passed away at age 99 on December 31, 2021, just a few weeks before her 100th birthday. Her friends and former castmates have shared touching tributes to the late star, such as her The Proposal co-star Ryan Reynolds. In remembrance of this emblematic actor and comedian, fans are also celebrating her 100th birthday on January 17th by doing the Betty White Challenge.
The Betty White Challenge encourages people to donate $5 in White’s name to a local animal shelter or rescue, in reference to her love of animals. White was a stout animal activist and dedicated to saving endangered animals. She is quoted as saying that animals are "what she loves most in the world", and showed this through her charity work, as well as creating and starring in The Pet Set (1971-1972). Some animal charities are supporting the challenge by matching donations and even donating on fans’ behalf in exchange for volunteer work, like walking their dogs. Check out some of the trending #BettyWhiteChallenge tweets below:
White’s final project is titled 100 Years Young, set to release on her birthday this week. Alongside clips from her lengthy performance career, the documentary shows moments from her everyday life and touches on her animal advocacy. Friends from throughout her life will also make appearances including Ryan Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, and Robert Redford, who White claimed was “The One” for her, despite actively avoiding the man. This special will also feature a yet-to-be-seen episode from the actor’s 50s sitcom days.
White’s quick wit and iconic performances span generations, helping to make her into a pop culture icon. Since White’s death, many have shared that they felt she would live forever, and many people have never known a world without her. She said that she found her mother’s philosophy soothing, stating that she had “no fear or dread of death”. Fans have chosen to spend the day caring for animals, the thing that White cared about most. With all this love and charity for animals being done in her name, it is safe to say that White would have loved this final gift.
Source: Various (see links) / Twitter