Alberta animal shelters receive influx of donations as tribute to TV icon Betty White

Calgary animal shelters have already received thousands of dollars in donations following a social media challenge created to honour late actor and comedian Betty White.

The Betty White Challenge asks people to donate $5 to a local animal shelter on Jan. 17, what would have been the 100th birthday of the last surviving member of The Golden Girls sitcom.

White, who died on Dec. 31, famously loved animals and had a TV show in the 1970s dedicated to celebrities, their pets, ecology and wildlife preservation.

Deanna Thompson, executive director of the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society, says donations to the organization have already begun,